I'm Married to a Royal Hothead
by Racontuerisme
Summary: Fanfic with Ace and an OC Ace and Sam have a very... complicated relationship. After finding his wife again Ace attempts to patch their anything but perfect relationship while Sam continues to complete her own goal: avenge her mother's and entire island's death.
1. Chapter 1

_In the grand scheme of things, I wasn't that bad off. Well, what I mean is that I could be dead instead of on my way to Dawn Island to be in the care of some person named Dadan. In truth I was a little nervous about meeting her. Shanks, of course, seemed to sense this as he put a hand on top of my head and ruffled my spiky red hair. _

_"Don't worry Sam; things are going to turn out alright."_

_I shrugged at Shanks._

_"I even hear that they have a couple of kids right around your age."_

_Another shrug._

_Shanks sighed, "Sam... I'm truly sorry about what happened to your village and your family but you can't stay reserved like this for the rest of your life; it's no way to live."_

_Still no reply._

_ Shanks sighed and then decided to go and see how long it would be before we would make it to the shore. My ears heard his footsteps begin to fade away and be replaced with silence. It was nice to finally be alone with my thoughts._

Staring out into the vast ocean I sighed and looked at my hands. Though they didn't feel any different I knew they were. I was completely different; besides not being able to swim now was pretty crippling. I missed the feel of the water on my skin.  
It had only been about five minutes after Shanks left me when I noticed that an island was coming into view. Immediately trouble brewed once we were closer to the land. This was just my lucky week or something.

Looking up my eyes dilated with fear when I was suddenly face to face with a Sea King. Swallowing I tried to back up but that served to be the worst idea that I had ever had. It roared and then snapped me up. Screaming bloody murder I tried to get free but instead it flung me toward Dawn Island.

Smacking into the trees another scream ripped out of me as my left arm snapped into an unnatural position. Pain snaked through my nerves and made my mind fuzzy. This was certainly not good. Finally I came to rest on the ground by what looked like a tiny village. However where I was other than on Dawn Island I had no idea. I tried to move but the pain in my arm was just too great. Gritting my teeth I used my right arm to at least snap my broken arm straight. Yet the pain was so great that I must've blacked out.

_**Poke.**_

_**Poke... Poke...  
**_  
_**Poke... Poke, poke, poke...**_

_ Groaning I cracked open an eye to see some stupid looking black haired kid poking me in the face. His eyes were round and innocent and he had a straw hat on his head. Where the hell did this idiot come from?_

_ "Luffy! You had better not be disturbing poor Samantha or I'll beat you!" A burly yet somewhat feminine voice bellowed. The boy- Luffy- paled and then looked down me only to see my eyes listlessly looking at him._

Immediately a grin split his face, "Hey Dadan she's up!" He yelled. I winced at the boy's shrill tone but still just lay there; after all my arm hurt like a bitch. In a few moment however a very burly orange haired woman came into the room and looked at me. At first I flinched away when she reached for me yet I felt no pain. Looking up I saw her regarding me with pity filled eyes.

Something in my just snapped at that look and I immediately stood up; ignoring the pain from my arm. I did not need her pity. In fact I was pretty tired of seeing that look. It was always the same when adults seemed to magically find out that I was from Ruby Island. They looked at me with pity in their eyes and frankly it pissed me off. What right did they have to look at me like I'm pitiful? I survived and for that I should gain some respect no matter how young or old I am.

"You need to lie back down! Your injuries are worse than you think!" The woman who I guessed was Dadan said. However I ignored her and limped my way out of the front door. I didn't know where I was going but it was going to be away from her and that stare.

_"Hey wait up!" Luffy called out._

_I looked back for a moment before going on._

_"Heeeeyyyyy! I said waaaaaiiiiitttttt!"_

_ I still ignored him until I felt my feet get swiped from underneath me. I was about to fall on my broken arm. Quickly reversing around I landed on my back but still I got quite a shock of pain. Hissing out my pain I glared at Luffy while he just grinned back stupidly.  
"Now that I've caught up let's go!" He said and grabbed my uninjured arm. Rolling my eyes I allowed him to tug me along with him. Besides at least I was getting away from that woman she-beast._

We got way out into the forest and the terrain was getting harder and harder for me to go over. On more than one occasion I would be lagging behind so bad that Luffy would stop to let me catch my breath or he'd pick me up and bring me with him.

Eventually we got to where we were going and he then let my arm go. I sat down on a rock and looked around. We were in a clearing somewhere near the edge of the island. Soft green grass carpeted the place while trees gossiped above while the wind flew by. Up in one of the trees was a tree house that Luffy was going up to.  
I was so into looking all around the opening that I didn't even notice someone coming up behind me until it was too late. Something hard smacked into my back and sent me flying. I squealed in pain and surprise; what the hell? Hitting the ground on my injured arm I screeched louder than ever and then came to rest by the base of a tree. Tears spilled from my eyes as my arm throbbed in pain in time to the beating of my heart.

Looking up I saw a kid with a scowl on his face. Freckles dotted his face as well and there were many bandages all over him. His tank top and shorts were dirty as well as his wild inky black hair. In his hand was a staff and it was directed at me.

"_Ace wait! She's alright!" Luffy yelled._

"_She shouldn't be here!"_

"_But Ace she seems like us! I'm pretty sure that she won't tell!"_

"_She's not Sabo! We need to focus on getting revenge for him!"_

"_Ace…"_

"_Get her out of here she's only going to be a burden."_

"_But-"_

"_D-don't bother… Luffy. He's… he's not going to… change his mind." I croaked._

_Standing up I winced at the feeling of my arm and started to limp away. I survived too much to be killed by him. There was no way that I was going to hang around just to be killed by that brat._

Trying to actually get anywhere was harder than I originally expected until suddenly a staff was put in front of me. I looked over to see that Ace was studying me. I then felt a fit of anger wash over me. Who the hell did he think he was; one minute he beat me up and wanted me to go and then the next he's stopping me from leaving. He need to make up his freaking mind.

After a moment more of him studying me I had had enough. Smacking his staff away as best I could I turned toward him and sent him my most heated glare. He glared right back at me and then raised his staff. I only slightly flinched when he did that but other than that I stood firm.  
Luffy stepped forward; clearly torn on who he should help. However before he could do anything Ace suddenly put down his staff and chuckled bitterly. I looked at him a little confused but took the action for what it was.

"_It takes guts not to back down when you know you can't win."_

_I gave him no reply, why should I?_

"_See Ace! I told you that she's like us!"_

"_Hmph, she's still weak Luffy. If she's going to stick around she's going to have to be useful."_

"_Why don't we train her?"_

"_Why take the time?"_

"_Because one day she's going to be really strong, I know it!"_

"_You train her; I have more important things to do." With that Ace left._

_It took a bit but I soon warmed up to Luffy and the others well enough to really talk to them. Months passed and with Luffy's training I did get stronger. In fact I got strong enough to where Ace would actually take interest in our sparring and occasionally join in himself. Though every time he did I would lose without much of a fight. Though it was seen that Ace and I were actually getting somewhat along. It was nice to not have him glaring at me all the time._

I sighed as we were all seated around the table for dinner. Ace, Luffy, and I (somewhat) managed to capture and bring home a gator for dinner. All of us were eating when I noticed that Luffy was reaching for my meat. Snatching up a fork that was lying around I stabbed it into the table right in front of Luffy's hand.

"Mine." I growled at him. That was another thing I learned; guard your food. Luffy blinked at me for a minute and then reached for my food again. Growling I leapt over the table and then tackled him to the floor. We rolled around on the floor punching and biting each other until finally I pinned Luffy down and then picked up what was left of my food. Eating it I then gulped down the rest of Luffy's food; while he whined the entire time.

Once dinner was over I got off of Luffy and her glared at me. Sticking my tongue out of him he chuckled and then got up to run after me. Racing out of the house I high tailed it past Ace, who had earlier finished eating, and out into the forest. Shooting over the rocks I skidded out into the streams where we had caught the gator earlier. Swinging over that I hit the other side of the bank when Luffy nearly caught me.

Scrabbling away from his rubber grip I got through the forest and into the Gray Terminal. Behind me I heard Luffy begin to slow down to a stop. 

"_Sam come back!"_

"_I'm not falling for that Luffy!"_

"_Seriously come back!"_

"_No way, you just want to catch me!"_

"_Sam!"_

_Immediately I smacked into something hard and fell back. Groaning I looked up to see what the hell I had smacked into. My mouth ran dry at the face greeting my gaze. It was him, Teague Rinaldi, the captain of Baroque Work's third fleet. Or as I knew him; the man that murdered my family and burned my village to the ground.  
Scuttling back from him I saw the recognition in his eyes. Immediately I turned to run but he fastened his hand onto the back of my collar. Luffy was running to help me, "Get out of here Luffy! This man is not someone that you can win against! Just run and regroup with the others!" Apparently my desperate pleas he turned and reluctantly ran back to where I knew he would find the bandits or Ace._

Feeling Teague's hold on the back of my shirt tighten I shut my eyes and prayed that I would not die here. He lift me up to where I was staring him straight in the face. Gray eyes still as intense as ever while crooked teeth glinted wickedly in the daylight. It seemed that in the several years since I had seen him that his style hadn't changed all that much. He still wore a dark blue shirt with a sash at the waist, dark pants, and dark boots still covered in dried, flaking blood.

"_Well, well, it seems that I missed a little rat."_

"_Go. To hell!"_

"_Now, now pet. I'll kill you soon enough. However I did promise my crew that I would snuff out those bandits. So, let's go."_

"_Let me go!" _

_No matter how much I screeched and beat at him he never let me off of his shoulder. I beat at his back until my hands were bruised and we were at the village. Angry, frustrated tears fell from my eyes at how useless I was against him. Looking at my hands I thought of what happened all those years ago. However there was no way that I was going to use that; just no way._

Making it into the village I saw that they had managed to get all of the Dadan Family and even Ace and Luffy. I couldn't believe that they were able to actually subdue those demon brothers. What hope did I have next to them if they were so easily beaten?

Teague threw me down next to Ace and Luffy and they roped me up. Immediately after Teague stepped back the entire crew came and gathered around me. It was obvious that they too remembered who I was. Crawling as far away as I could I glared at them while huddling near Luffy and Ace.

"_Now, now men."_

"_But Capt'n." One man spoke. He had dark curly chestnut hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a pair of loose black pants and a blue shirt. A sword was strapped to his back and there was a scar over his right eye. He was the first mate Monte._

"_No, we can kill our darling little rat over there after we get what we came for."_

"_Why not before? This is the little Hell Cat that took my right eye!" Monte complained. _

_More jeers and complaints rose up among the captain._

"_I say what goes! If you have a problem then speak up now!" Teague roared over everyone. "This little bitch is mine anyhow! IF any of you touch her I will kill you!"_

"_Heh, your crew is still the same." I chuckled dryly._

"_Shut it brat."_

"_Or what? It's not like I have anything to really lose."_

"_What about them?"_

"_You tell me."_

_Teague walked right up and came face to face with me. I glared at him as he glared right back at me. I truly hated this man; I hated him with a passion. He would one day die by my hand._

Without warning he smacked me across the face and I reeled back into Luffy and Ace. Teague laughed and then he walked away. Blood was pouring from my nose as I struggled to sit back up. Oh yes, I was going to kill him.

They all walked about as I eyed them. This was not a good situation at all. If I didn't find a way out of this I would most likely not be alive at the end. However the question was, how was I going to do that?

"_Hey Sam, do you know them?" Luffy asked._

"… _Unfortunately."_

"_Huh?"_

"_We've met before but it was anything but pleasant."_

"_Why?"_

"_He… did terrible things to my island. I escaped death by pure luck."_

"_So he's not nice?"_

"_No you idiot!"_

"_How dare you spit on me you bandit brat!" Suddenly Ace was snatched up by Teague. When Teague got over here was a mystery but I didn't have time to ponder that. I whipped around and launched myself at Ace and Teague. Crashing into them both I knocked Ace out of his hands and then quickly got to my feet. Teague was up in a second and he had a hold on my throat. Air was quickly escaping my lungs and my vision was turning dark._

Without thinking I brought my hand up and without further ado Teague began to gasp. He let me go and I began to close my hand into a fist. He gasped more urgently until suddenly something knocked my hand away. The trance that I was in was broken and I looked down at my hand horrified. I said that I would never use that power but here I ended up having to. What the hell happened to me?

However putting my qualms aside I went over to everyone else and cut their ropes. Looking over I saw Teague gasping on the ground while the rest of his crew looked at me like I had the plague. Shooting them the nastiest glare I could they all backpedaled and disappeared with their captain.

Once I got everyone free I couldn't bear to look at them. They would probably think that I was a monster. However I then felt a firm hand on my shoulder as I went to walk away. Turning back I saw Ace there with an actual smile on his face, "Don't think you're leaving us after that spectacular performance."

"_But…"_

"_What Devil Fruit did you eat?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_A strange berry that gives you powers. Means you also can't swim anymore."_

"_O-oh… I don't know. Teague shoved it down my throat a long time ago…"_

"_Heh, guess we'll have to find out what all you can-"_

"_NO!"_

"_Why not?"_

"_This… this curse is NOT something that I'm going to explore!"_

"_If you don't you could accidentally kill someone."_

"_I… I never… thought about that…"_

"_Then let's go and practice with your powers. Come on Luffy!"_

_That was my first real moment with Ace. He didn't look down on me, he didn't pity me, and above all else he treated me like I was actually capable of doing things on my own. Not to mention he was the first one (along with Luffy) to really help me get a handle on my powers. He was also… my first crush ever._


	2. Chapter 2

The bar was dimly lit; like always. Scents of sweat, beer, and the usual inhabitants rose up to mix into a malodorous concoction not at all pleasing to the nose. Chatter and drunken chants soared through the dank air to make the scene complete. Behind the bar the bartender watched with a careful eye while serving up drinks.

I was sitting down at the bar when I heard the sounds of more people entering into the establishment. Flicking my gaze over I saw a familiar orange cowboy hat coming in with a few others. Sinking my head lower I hoped that he wouldn't see me, besides I didn't feel like having to punch his pompous ass in public. Casting my gaze down I looked at the near-burning ring on my finger.

The ring itself was very simple. It was a gold band and nothing more. However what went into making it was what made it one of a kind. Apparently it had a special 'ingredient' that made it warmer the closer it got to its twin. Very helpful for me since said owner of the 'twin' ring was none other than Portgas D. Ace.  
Luckily because of the increasing temperature it alerted me to when the pyro idiot was around and I could easily escape him. However he arrived too quickly for me to actually be able to escape without him knowing; he would spot my trademark red hair anywhere. So now my plan of action was to let him get fall down drunk and then make a hasty getaway.

Signaling for the bartender to get me another drink I kept my head down and twirled my long red locks around my finger. God I so needed to get out of here before long. However something in the heavens was against me as suddenly a very familiar body heat flooded mine. Arms wrapped themselves around me and pulled me back into a toned chest.

"Well, well, it's been awhile… Sam."

"Heh, not long enough… Ace."

"Don't be like that. I've been searching for you. Why the hell did you leave?" He turned me around on my stool so that he was situated in between my legs and my hands were on his chest.

"Why? You tricked me into marrying you! Why the hell would I stay?"

A hurt look crossed Ace's face, "Sam I love you."

"Yeah and you proved that so _dearly_."

"You're still wearing the ring."

"Only to avoid you."

I attempted to push Ace away from me but it proved to do no good as I only proved to really push myself back. I glared at him and grabbed my drink that was next to me. Before I really thought about it I threw the rum into his face and while he was sputtering I leapt out of my seat and ran toward the door. If I was lucky then I would make it to the door before Ace could catch me.

Apparently though someone up there hates me because a guy with blonde hair and fairly sleepy looking eyes blocked the door. I smacked into his bare chest and felt the difference between his actual skin and the tattoo on it. His purple shirt had a spicy scent and my breath was taken away when the belt around his waist smacked into my stomach and drove the air from my lungs.

Stepping back I glared at him while he smirked at me. Really? Why the fuck did he step in my way? Surely I didn't know him personally and I was pretty sure that I hadn't fought him either. So the question was: why was he bothering me?

Just as I was about to attack him Ace came up behind me and picked me up. "Put me down you fucking dumbass!" I snarled. Ace chuckled at my words and walked me over to a table. Dropping me down to sit on it I growled and glared up at him.

Ace's hair was dripping with the rum still but his face showed amusement. Huffing and crossing my arms and legs I quirked an eyebrow at him. By now everyone was watching us but really who cared?

"So why are we playing this game?"

"Where's your crew?"

"Haven't got one. Not since a couple months."

"Just come back with me." His eyes were pleading with me.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Your offer implies that I would have to be in your company. So no."

"Do you even have a ship to get out of here?"

"I can manage my way around thank you; now let me go."

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"Why do you have to be so persistent?"

By this time our faces were close and our eyes were both narrowed. I swore that I would kill him in his sleep one day or another. However that would have to be put to the back burner at the moment because Ace then picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.

"You ass! Put me down!"

"Nope."

"I swear that if you take me with you I'll throw you into the ocean!"

"Uh hu-zzz"

Luckily for me Ace's narcolepsy kicked in and we both fell. Getting out of his grip I got to my feet and then took off. Behind me I could hear Ace's friends laughing at him but none of them dared to come after me; luckily.

Racing through the dark town I came to a stop by one of the stores. It was nicely lit and there were many goods in there. Putting my hand in my pocket I fished out a small pouch that was almost bursting with belli. I needed to get supplies so that I could get the heck out of dodge.

Ducking into the store I bought a bag and enough goods to last for a week or two and a new bag to put everything in. Browsing their clothes I picked up a couple of shirts and pants along with other items. Paying for them and stuffing them into my bag I then exited the shop and carefully made my way toward the docks. With any luck I would be able to make it off this damn island with a boat and someplace to go (my log pose set days ago).

Getting to the docks I perused the boats to find out which one I wanted to take for my own. The one on the end looked pretty good. Walking over to it I noticed that this Skiff actually belonged to none other than Ace. Grinning I untied it and then tossed my bag into it and then took off. Though I did wish that I could see his face when he realized that his skiff was gone.

**Ace's Pov**

Ace sighed as Marco told him all about what happened. He couldn't believe that he had finally pinned down Sam again only for her to slip away. His heart ached that the woman he loved ditched him. There was no way that he would accept such a thing.

"I'm going to track her down. She can't be far."

"Whoa there Ace, why are you going after her?"

"She's my wife."

"What?"

"Marco I'll tell you later. Right now the more time I waste talking to you the farther away she's getting."

Marco waved him off and then turned back to the bar. Ace walked out of the bar and then decided that Sam would most likely head to the docks first. So of course that's where he went.

Making it to the dock Ace looked to see that his Skiff was gone. Oh hell no. Running down to where he had tied his Skiff originally he found a note stuck there. Taking hold of it he looked at it and sighed.

Yo Ace, you should really learn not to leave your Skiff lying about. ;) –Wifey

Crumpling the note in his hand Ace summoned up his fire and burnt it to cinders. Looking over on his log pose he saw that it hadn't set. Growling Ace sat down on the dock and ran a hand through his hair. There was no way that he would be able to catch up with her, assuming that her log pose had set. Laying back on the deck Ace looked up at the sky.

Oh how he missed Sam. He missed her voice, her touch, and above all else just her company. Often he would lie awake at night wondering where she was and what she was up to. He had promised himself that when he saw her again that he wouldn't let her go yet…

Getting back up Ace began his way back to the bar. Walking in there he saw Thatch was busy singing on the tables while Marco was sitting at the bar watching the spectacle with an amused face. Ace made his way over to the bar and ordered the strongest alcohol that the bar had.

Marco looked over at Ace who was slumped against the bar defeated. He could tell that his friend wasn't successful; that was actually pretty apparent. However he still wanted to know about Ace's so called 'wife'.

"So, is this considered later?"

"No, I'll tell you about it later not now."

"Why not right now?"

"Right now I just want to get as drunk as possible to forget."

"Geez, if you're that upset find a quick f-"

"NO!"

"Chill."

"That's not an option… I can't do that to Sam."

With that Ace ended the conversation and began to down his drink. Immediately a different kind of warm washed over him and he felt the fuzziness begin to set in. Oh yeah, this shit was strong and he was liking it very much.

Downing a couple more glasses of the strong alcohol, Ace was sufficiently drunk. In fact he was so drunk that he joined Thatch on the table tops singing to whatever chant was going on.

However when Thatch collapsed to the floor Marco deemed that it was time for them to get back to the Moby Dick. Ace was tapped on the shoulder by Marco and then guided to help prop their unconscious crew member up on their way to the docks.

**Marco's Pov**

Getting there Marco noticed that Ace's skiff was gone and that only left them with Marco's tight fitting skiff. Putting Thatch down into the skiff Marco stopped Ace who just gave the first division commander a questioning look.

"Ace, where's your skiff?"

"M-my shexy wife tooksh it from me."

"Really?"

"Yesh."

Marco shook his head and then pushed Ace down into the skiff as well. Marco then got in and shook his head while chuckling. It seemed that Ace's 'wife' was a very cunning woman as well as sly. He would be interested to get to know this woman.

Getting back to the Moby Dick was a bit harder than he actually imagined it was. Then getting the two drunkards on deck was even more of a task. Ace almost fell into the water twice which would've been deadly. Oh how he would never let the Fire Fist get this drunk ever again.

After about half an hour, death threats, pleas, and bargaining Marco finally managed to get Ace on deck as well as Thatch. Putting both of the drunks to bed Marco was on his way to bed when he ran into Pops.

"Finally back?"

"Yes pops. Though I've technically been back half an hour already."

"Ace and Thatch giving trouble no doubt."

"Yes and did you know that Ace was married?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, Ace is apparently married to a little firecracker named Sam."

"Met her did you?"

"Briefly. She ran into me after she threw her drink into Ace's face."

"Bahahahahahaha! That is a little firecracker!"

"She even stole Ace's Skiff."

"Bahahahahahahaha! We should have her join the crew!"

"We don't know where she's gone though."

"Have one of the log poses set yet?"

"They won't be set until morning."

"Well, once the first one sets we'll head to that island. Most likely we'll run into her there. Once we dock I'll send Ace out to get her."

"Okay. Well Pops, I think that I'm going to turn in now."

"Alright my son have a good night."

Marco sleepily went straight down to his hammock and immediately clambered into it. It had been a very long night. Turning over on his side Marco looked upon a drunken Ace snore and murmur in his sleep. While most of his words were gibberish but every once in a while the pyro would call out the mysterious Sam's name.

'I wonder what their story is.' Marco thought sleepily. Ever since he had seen Ace and Sam together in the bar interacting with one another he wondered where they met one another. Another question plaguing Marco's mind was why were they on such bad terms? Well, Sam at least.

Sam's reaction to seeing Ace was almost one of horror and anger. He wondered what the idiot narcoleptic had done to make the female so mad. Another thing that he wondered was what was Sam like? It was obvious that she was a firecracker and very sly. However he wondered what other qualities she had and if she was a devil fruit user as well or just a regular pirate.

Yawning once more Marco figured that he should most likely get some shut eye. Rolling over so he had his back to his fellow friend Marco shut his eyes. Within a few moments his breathing leveled out and he was out.


	3. Chapter 3

Waking up I yawned and saw that the Skiff luckily had been drifting toward the next island while I had fallen asleep. Above my head the sun shone down happily and I took a deep breath of the salty ocean.

What I wouldn't give to just take a dive in. However that wasn't going to happen unless I was suicidal. Last I checked of course I wasn't suicidal. Well… maybe I was slightly insane but that was all.

Sitting up completely I decided that it would probably be best to get to shore and see where the hell I was. Making my way to shore I hopped out of it and then made my way through the town to see where I was.

The buildings of the town were much of the same. They all had the same brick color, the same height, and the same width. There were huge mountains that set the whole sleepy town setting in motion. Personally it seemed very boring to me. People were selling their wares on the streets while small children zipped through the crowds; some even leaving with a wallet or two. Making sure that my valuables were locked away tightly in my bag I moved into the tavern that I saw.

Inside was much like all of the other taverns and bars that I had been to. Smoke wafted up to the rafters and the only inhabitants at this hour were drunks, pirates, and perhaps an off duty marine or two. Up on stage a person who was obviously drunk out of their brains was singing their heart out. The screeching notes hurt my ears but there was no way that I would be making a scene.

Behind the bar was a barmaid polishing a glass. Her hair was in dark curls that fell around her face in beautiful ringlets. Her nails were cut and polished to perfection while dark eyes looked over the inhabitants of the bar with distaste.

Going over to the bar I offered her a smile and then ordered a hot meal. She returned my smile and then went to give my order to the cook. I patiently waited for her to come back with it and observed the map that was hanging on the wall over by the door. _'So it seems that I'm on Sapphire Island… awfully close to home…' _I thought sadly.

A hot plate of bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, and a glass of juice was plunked down in front of me along with silverware. Licking my lips I quickly dug into my meal. Gulping it down I noticed the barmaid looking at me with a bit of disgust. However I really couldn't have cared less about what she thought about me. Gulping down the last of my meal I pushed the plate back and sat back a little on my stool. A satisfied sigh left my lips as I paid up for the meal.

Usually I would dine and dash but I knew how hard barmaids usually had it. So if I saw that the bartender was a barmaid I tried to make things a little easier on them. She took up the money and plates while I sat there and digested. Looking back at the map I began to decide about the way I would go.

Hearing a feminine scream I turned back to see that the marines in the bar were causing some trouble for her. They had the poor girl backed into a corner and were grabbing at her skirt. Rolling my eyes I got up off of my stool and walked over to where they were.

"Morning to you boys."

"Huh, hey you're kinda pretty~" The first marine said. He had dark hair stuffed under a cap and blue eyes.

"Yeah." Marine One's buddy chipped in.

I giggled a bit, "So, what are your names?"

"I'm Flynn and this is Jacoby." Marine One said.

"Well, why don't you two leave miss Ruby to her job?"

"Why would we do that?"

"Because I think you'd have more fun with me~"

In an instant my foot was planted in Flynn's gut. Air rushed out of his lungs and he dropped to the floor. The beer that he had been holding splattered all over the wall and Ruby screamed in surprise as she got hit with the liquid. "Flynn!" Jacoby cried out. Quickly after that I grabbed hold of Jacoby's hat and hair. Slinging him face down on the bar proved to be too much for him as he passed out.

Flynn got back up and began to take wild swings at my head. Ducking below them I was about to deliver the finishing blow when Flynn suddenly cracked a beer bottle and tossed it toward Ruby. I quickly whipped out my hand and smacked it away but at the price of a nasty cut being inflicted on my hand. Looking down at the blood I chuckled; dear Flynn was in for it now.

Summoning up my devil fruit powers I formed my blood into a knife and hardened it past the point of diamond. Looking at him I saw his wide eyes and struck. Darting toward him I placed two quick slices to his shoulders and took out his arms. Blood sprayed everywhere and he howled in pain. Kicking upward I caught his chin with the heel of my foot and sent him crashing toward the ground. Disengaging my devil fruit powers I ripped a piece of Flynn's already torn shirt and used it as a bandage.

Chuckling I shook my head and then looked back at Ruby. She seemed a little shaken but other than that she was fine. Now it was time to take out the trash.

Picking up Flynn first I walked (more like dragged) him to the doorway and then tossed him into the dusty street. Turning back I gave Jacoby the same treatment and then dusted my hands off. Picking up the barstools that had knocked over I then sat down on my stool again.

"Th-thank you…?"

"Name's Sam. No problem; beer please."

"Sure, whatever you order is on the house; just for you of course."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

She served up my drink and I downed it with pretty much no problem. After a few more shots I deemed that I should stop before I got too drunk to get a room to board up in for the couple of days it would take for my log pose to set.

"Say… do you know where I can get a room around here?"

"Sure, let me write the directions on a napkin for you."

"H-hey… can I borrow your pen and a different napkin?"

"Sure."

I took the pen and paper that she handed out to me and then began to scribble a note on it.

"Could you please give this to an idiot black haired guy with an orange cowboy hat when he asks about me?"

"How do you know he'll ask for you?"

"Because he always does."

Fuzzily hobbling out into the street clutching badly written directions to the nearest inn wasn't the brightest idea. Especially since it was about noon and there were a lot of guys ogling me. However I could most likely still kick some ass so it was all good.

Making it to the inn, I got my key and then went up to my room and crashed. I groaned in happiness at the soft feeling of the mattress underneath me; this was living.

**Ace's Pov**

Ace anxiously stood on deck as they docked on the island. It was earlier in the day when Whitebeard told him what he wanted. Truthfully he was glad that for now his sole mission was to get Sam. He missed her terribly and just seeing her again after all of the years kindled his longing for her.

Once he was sure that the ship was completely docked he along with Thatch and Marco went out in search of a nice tavern to get a drink at. Hopefully someone in there would have whereabouts of Sam as well.

Walking through the sunny town Ace noticed that no one was really casting them strange looks even when he looked back at the ones that had seen their tattoos. Perhaps Whitebeard had originally visited this city once before. Or maybe they were used to pirates coming here; either way they weren't concerned in the least.

Making it to the first place that would sell alcohol they all made their way in. The tavern at this time of day was a bit darker than it should've been but other than that it was pretty much deserted. There were blood and scratch marks on the floor and beer splattered on the wall which suggested that a fight had broken out recently. The barmaid behind the counter seemed a little on edge as well as she did her best to serve what little customers were there.

Marco took the incentive and sat down on a stool while Ace and Thatch followed. Sitting down on the stool Ace noticed that the barmaid keep shooting him glances which annoyed him to no end. This wasn't exactly unusual for barmaids or even women at the bars to shoot him glances but he really wasn't into it.

After she finished serving the others at the bar she came over to take their orders. However her eyes were on Ace the entire time. Ace himself however couldn't have cared less.

"So for you?" She asked him.

"I'll take beer."

"Okay, I'll be right back with your order."

She walked off and Ace looked at Marco and Thatch who were both staring at him.

"Yes?"

"Have you noticed her staring?" Thatch asked.

"Of course."

"Why don't you do something?"

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Maybe you should ask her about Sam; see what she does."

"I guess it's worth a try."

The barmaid soon returned with all of their drinks. She turned away to see to her other customers but Ace signaled her over.

"Sir?"

"Have you seen a woman come through here with long fiery red hair and green eyes?"

Her eyes widened and she paled a bit before reaching into her apron and pulled out a napkin. Shakily handing it over to him she quickly left. Ace unfolded it and saw neat handwriting on it that made him mad yet he had to chuckle as well because this was just her style.

'Still bothering to ask for me eh? Pretty sad. Good luck on finding me. –Wifey'

Ace put the napkin down and then drained his beer. Standing up he then began to walk towards the door. He didn't need to look back to know that Marco and Thatch were reading the note left on the napkin.

Getting onto the streets he just leisurely took his time down the streets looking at everything. His thoughts strayed onto lovely Sam; he just couldn't seem to get her out of his head.

Frankly it was making him a little cranky to have to chase after her. However he did love a challenge and she certainly was posing one. A gust of wind picked up and Ace suddenly had a piece of paper smack him in the face. Getting it off he was about to toss it back when he noticed that there was writing on it.

'Wandering around and taking your time huh? Pretty gutsy since you don't know when I'm leaving or where I am. – Wifey'

Ace looked around frantically to see where the note might have come from but so far he wasn't seeing anything and frankly it was pissing him off. Why couldn't his lovely wife just stop with all of the games and running around? Didn't she notice the pain that she was causing him by running away?

**Sam's Pov**

I watched Ace from the shadows as he read my next note and couldn't help but giggle. He was just too easy. Moving a little to see him walking up the streets I saw that he was looking everywhere for where I would have dropped the note. Wow he was clueless.

Making my way through the throng of people I checked my log pose to see that it was still spinning around and around. Rolling my eyes at the slowness of it I decided to have a little more fun with Ace.

Walking right behind him I was careful to make sure that he didn't notice me and then I smacked another note on his back. Tossing myself over into the crowd I made sure to keep my head low yet keep my eyes on him to see what he would do.

He was whirling around rapidly to see if I was anywhere there but so far he found nothing. Growling he stomped off and I giggled before deciding to leave him alone. Walking down one of the alleyways I was almost out of it when a hand fastened around my arm and slammed me into the wall. Looking up I saw an ugly orange cowboy hat and a smirking face beneath it. "So, did you really think that you could really escape me?"

Growling I struggled in his grip but unfortunately it seemed that I wasn't going anywhere soon. Looking up into his eyes I saw that beyond the smirk was relief; I really wanted to hit him. However if it was a contest of brute strength I would never win. So the next best thing was to use wits.

Losing my angry look I giggled at him and stopped struggling. I could tell that he was wondering what was up but he wasn't complaining. Once his grip was a bit laxer I pushed myself closer to him. The heat of his body washed over me and I caught his distinct scent; sweet smoke and some kind of spice.

"Hn, you're acting like you missed me." I whispered in his ear.

He placed a kiss on the side of my neck while still holding onto my hands, "You have _no _idea of how much I missed you."

"Really now?"

"Really, in fact word of you has gotten around in the Whitebeard Pirates. Captain wants me to bring you in to see him." He trailed kissed all up my neck and to my jaw.

He was just about to place a kiss on my lips, "Hm… as fun as that may be… NO!"

Placing a hard kick into the area that would drop any man all of the air left his lungs and Ace crashed to the ground. Without snapping out a snippy reply I took off into the crowd. Loping through people I didn't care if I knocked them down. Looking behind me saw a partially in pain Ace crashing after me. He looked hurt but I couldn't tell if it was because his 'buddies' were bruised and probably bleeding or if it was some other reason.

Skirting around a corner I leapt onto the rocky side of a building and quickly scaled up it. Tossing myself onto the roof I quickly began to building hop. Feeling the heat behind me I could tell that Ace had turned into fire. If I didn't outrun him it was not gonna be good.

Seeing the edge of the building I sped up and then took a wild leap. It was only then that I realized it was too late to turn back and that I was most likely going to smack into pavement. '_Well shit._'

I closed my eyes in hopes not to witness the ground coming toward me but I didn't feel it. Rather I felt warmth and a very tight, almost painful, grip on my arms. I looked up to see Ace's smoldering eyes. His gaze was raging as he looked down at me but he didn't say anything.

We touched down on the pavement and he turned is fire off. "Thanks for the save but you can put me down now." I said. Ace tightened his grip on me and then began to walk off. I growled and pushed on his chest but he just crushed me to him. Sighing I just decided to go with the ride until I could think of some way to get away from him.

It was a short probably fifteen minute walk back to the Whitebeard Pirate ship. Looking over at it I sighed and slumped into Ace's grasp further. I really didn't want to have to face Whitebeard.

Taking me onto the ship I looked around and saw all of the pirates that were staring at us. Then there were those two guys that I had seen earlier. They both stepped up toward Ace who stopped when seeing them.

"Seems that you finally caught her." The guy that I had smacked into earlier said.

"Yeah, Sam this is Marco and that's Thatch."

"Should I care?"

"Heh she is pretty feisty Ace; leave it to you to pick a girl that doesn't back down easily."

"Go to hell bee hive hair!"

"Hey!"

"What?"

"There's no reason to make fun of my hair!"

"There's also no reason to play this little game of capture the redhead!"

"What's going on out here my sons?"

Everyone stilled and I found myself looking up at none other than Edward 'Whitebeard' Nugate. He was even bigger than I had originally expected. Ace immediately walked forward and then dumped me at his captain's feet.

"So I take it that you are Samantha?"

"Yes."

"How would you like to join the Whitebeard Pirates?"

"Not on your life."

"Hey be respectful to Pops!" Ace barked.

I whipped around to face him, "Shut it! If it weren't for you I wouldn't even be on this bloody ship!"

"Now, now calm down." Whitebeard interjected.

"Don't order me around like one of your nakama!"

"How about a deal?"

"…What kind of deal?"

"If you manage to avoid Ace, Marco, and Thatch until the time you set off of the island we won't ask you to join us. However if you are caught by one of them then you join my crew."

I stood there for a moment and thought it over; couldn't hurt to try right? Besides the log pose would probably only need a few more hours to possibly one day to set. "Fine, you have yourself a deal."

Immediately after we agreed to the deal I flipped over Thatch who had leapt at my back and landed on the railing on the side of the ship. Grinning over at Ace and Marco I flipped them off and then dove off the side of the railing.

Making it toward the ground I turned toward the ship and kicked off the side. Propelling myself enough to where I could grab onto an overhang I tossed myself back into the crowds of Sapphire Island.

**Ace's Pov**

Ace sighed in annoyance as he watched Sam blend in with the crowd. Why Pops made such a bet was beyond him however it wasn't for him to judge. Walking over to Marco and Thatch he winced as he started to feel pain again. That girl really could pack a hit when she wanted to.

"You alright there Ace?" Marco asked.

"Let's just say Sam can pack a hit."

"Oooh, something tells me your little buddies are not feeling very well."

"Shut up Thatch."

Ace made his way off of the ship and decided that he would just take his time to find her. More than likely she would head down to the docks. Making his way there he found that his skiff was docked off and then he grinned.

Jumping down into his skiff he quickly made his way back to the ship and tied it off there. If Sam wanted to get off of the island that she would either steal another ship or hopefully she would be sailing off with them.

Going back through town Ace looked around and saw that Marco already was scouring all of the hotels while Thatch was searching the bars for information. There was no way that Sam was going to be slipping away from him this time.


	4. Chapter 4

I sighed as I quickly packed up my things into my bag. If I was lucky I would be able to get out of here before one of the three stooges caught me. Putting the last of my supplies in my bag I hoisted it up on my shoulders and then deiced to get out of there before I was caught.

Going downstairs I caught sight of a blonde pineapple mop and reversed right upstairs. Looking around I saw a window and quickly went over to it. Unhooking the latches I opened the window and then climbed out and dropped toward the small bale of hay that was conveniently located right beneath me.

Landing on my feet I took off running toward the mountains that were right behind the village. In a way this place reminded me of Dawn Island.

Just an hour into my little bet with Whitebeard I found a place in the wilderness that seemed like it would be safe enough to reside in. The small clearing that I had decided upon had several huge trees with big enough hollows for me to sleep in comfortably. About a five minute trek from where I set up camp was a nice running stream with cool fresh water and a lot of fish. There were an abundance of plants around should I be so inclined to eat them. Game scurried through the forest and I figured that setting up a few traps wouldn't be bad.

Putting some springy leaves in the hollow that I had cleaned out well enough to sleep in provided me with a nice soft bed for the later hours. Going around and making traps was always the most time consuming part for me. Grabbing up several small branches that I had cut off from the tops of the trees I stripped them of their bark and began to weave them into small animal traps to hopefully catch something so that I wouldn't have to use the stored rations in my pack.

Once I had set up all of the traps that I deemed I would need I decided that now would be a good time to go and see if I could spear anything in the stream that wasn't too far away. Slashing down a stick I stripped it of its bark and made it into a nice fine point at one end. Rolling my brown pants up I waded into the freezing water up to mid-calf.

It would've been so much easier to use my devil fruit powers but the stupid water was too salty for that. I could feel the water draining on my devil fruit powers which made me think that if I wanted to drink this that I would probably have to boil some of the salt out of it. Focusing back on what my task originally was I looked down at the fish that were beginning to gather around my ankles.

Holding my breath for a moment I steadied myself and then quick as a whip dove the sharp spear down and pulled it up; on the end of it was a wriggling silver fish. Taking the fish off I tossed it on the bank beside me and then repeated the process five more times.

Satisfied with what I had accomplished I gathered up all of my stuff and then walked barefoot back to the camp that I had set up. Setting the fish down I slid off the cloth on my hand and looked at the cut that was there. It had already scabbed and the blood that had leaked out around it was a dark black and already flaking off. Taking in a deep breath I licked my other thumb and drug it across the cut in my palm. Once I was finished there was no sign of a cut ever being there.

Yawning once I then checked my traps to see that I had caught a rabbit and a couple of mice as well. Bringing them all back to the fire I skinned everything and then started up a fire to cook them on. It only took about half an hour but by that time I was ravenous. Grabbing up the first fish that I had caught I immediately dug in to the warm meal. '_man, this is good._'

**Ace's Pov**

Ace sighed as he made his way to the tavern where he agreed to meet Marco and Thatch. He had checked all of the shops in the town to see if perhaps Sam had bought something from them but nothing so far had proven him to be correct.

Entering the bar Ace found Marco and Thatch already there each with a mug of beer in hand. Making his way over to them he sat down and could tell that they had little information on where Sam went either.

"Well, apparently if she doesn't want to be found she won't be." Thatch stated.

"You guys didn't find anything on her?"

"No I didn't what about you Marco?"

"Well, she did get a room earlier but when I went up there it was deserted."

"Great…."

"Sorry Ace."

"It's not your fault. Sam has always been exceptionally well at hiding. Even when we were kids she was like that."

"Speaking of the past, what happened between you and Sam?"

Ace sighed as he recalled the memory. He wished that he had gone about it differently but still he didn't exactly regret what he did.

_The scene was a dark night in a lovely town. The lights of the town were bright as the festival that was residing there carried on. The scents of many different foods mixed together to create a heavenly aroma while people were all crowding through the streets._

Ace had met up with Sam and her crew earlier. His own crew, the Spade Pirates, were off doing whatever it was that they did while he and Sam strolled around town. His arm was thrown over her shoulders and she in return was leaning her head against Ace's shoulder. All they were really doing were walking around town but to Ace this was the best way to spend his time.

As they were walking past a stall Ace noticed how Sam's eyes were drawn to a shiny clip. It was made of bronze and had sapphires set into the curly cues. Set in the middle was an emerald that shone brightly. All in all it was beautiful.

"_Do you want it?" Ace asked._

"_It's beautiful but… I really don't want you to spend that much."_

"_Really, if you want it then I'll get it."_

"_Seriously, I don't want you to do that. It's really expensive and all."_

"_I'll take this." He told the salesperson._

_Sam opened her mouth to interject but Ace silenced her with a kiss over her mouth. She blushed and the salesperson handed Ace the clip while Ace went to hand him the belli. However the man shook his head, "I can tell that you love her like I loved my own wife, so please take this pin as a gift from me." With that he then went on to help other customers._

_Turning Sam to face him Ace pinned back her hair with it. She looked at him with both eyes and he couldn't help himself. Leaning down Ace connected his lips with hers and pulled her close. He loved her and he wanted her to be beside him forever. He didn't want anyone else to have her._

_Breaking the kiss before it picked up past what would be deemed acceptable for the public Ace linking his fingers with Sam's and they then continued on down the street looking at things in other stalls. _

_Just as they walked past another stall Ace gently pulled Sam over to where a man was shooting photos. Tossing the guy a couple of belli he pulled Sam close and they took a couple of pictures. Once they were finished the guy handed both of them to Ace who took one and gave the other to Sam, "So we always have this festival." He said. Sam took one and then kissed him on the mouth._

_A couple of hours later both he and Sam decided that they were done with walking around and took up residence in one of the bars that weren't closed around. They were busy laughing and drinking until both were pretty drunk._

"_Ne Sam, marry me."_

"_N-nuuuuuu, I dun wanna get married yet."_

"_Why n… not?"_

"_Cause I g-got shumthin ta do before then."_

"_Come onnnnn Sammy! Marry me!"_

"_Noooo!"_

"_Marry me!"_

"_Acshe no!"_

"_Sherioushly marry me."_

"_I shaid no dammit!"_

_Drunken Ace pouted at Drunken Sam and then a plan began to form in his muddled mind. How drunk would he have to get her in order for her to agree to marrying him? Well, Drunken Ace guessed that he would have to find out. Finally after several more rounds of drinks even more drunk Ace decided to see if it worked._

"_Shammy?"_

"_Wha?"_

"_Marry me?"_

"_Shure~ Whatever you shay!"_

_Crazy Drunken Ace grinned and then picked Crazy Drunken Sam off before drunkenly stumbling off to find someone to marry them. It took about two drunken hours to find someone but they finally did. Luckily he also was able to make the wedding rings right there._

"_Do you uh… Portgas D. Asce take Samantha Le Roux to be your wife?" _

"_I-I do!"_

"_Do you Samantha Le Roux take Portgas D. Asce to be your husband?"_

"_Hehehe shure!"_

_The priest let out a sigh at the drunken idiots in front of him. Little did they know but this marriage could never be undone once it was finished, "Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. Kiss your bride." _

_Ace immediately sloppily kissed Sam and then the priest had them sign the ever affective papers before sending the drunken idiots on their way. The rings were firmly on their fingers as they drunkenly made their way into a cheap motel._

Once the door shut Ace's mouth was on every available inch of Sam's skin while he began to rip her clothes off of her. She giggled and then pulled his face to hers while the real fun got started.

_Morning light tipped in and Ace groaned as it hit his eyes. His head was killing him and he really couldn't remember all that much it was all pretty much a blur to him. Rolling over he buried his head into the softest pillow that he'd ever felt. However when he realized the pillow was moving he cracked both eyes open._

Sitting up slightly Ace looked down to see Sam lying there next to him. Her hair was all over the place and from what he saw he realized that she wasn't wearing any clothes. Looking down at himself yielded the same results. What the hell happened last night?

His eyes caught something shining brightly on his ring finger and he was then aware of the warm weight as well. Taking a closer inspection yielded a wedding band around his finger. Oh shit. Quickly grabbing up Sam's hands he looked down to see a similar band on her own ring finger. Oh fuck.

Sam's eyes opened as well and she groggily sat up. Peering over at Ace she then saw what was on both of their hands and her eyes widened. Ignoring the pound in his head as well as probably her own she let out a piercing scream and jumped out of bed. Ace's eyes widened as he looked at the nude body of his new wife.

Noticing the look Sam looked down and then ripped the top sheet off of the bed before covering herself with it. Tears leaked down from her eyes as she looked around at everything and took it all in while falling to sit back down on the bed. Ace scooted over to try and comfort her but as soon as his fingertips brushed her shoulders she whipped around and punched him in the face.

_"What the hell happened?" She screamed._

"_I don't know… what do you remember?"_

"_I-I remember you insisting that I marry you and then nothing!"_

"_Sam I swear that whatever happened I didn't do this."_

"_As fucking if! This is your entire fault! I didn't want to be married and now I'm fucking married to you! This isn't fucking fair!"_

"_Sam I'm sorry but it's not all that bad is it?"_

_Sam stopped crying and throwing things around the room while turning to face him, "Not that… fucking bad? Ace… I DON'T WANT TO BE MARRIED! I STILL HAVE SO MUCH TO ACCOMPLISH AND NOW ALL OF THAT IS GONE BECAUSE OF THIS STUPID RING ON MY FINGER!"_

"_Sam I love you! I swear that whatever it is that you need to do we can do it together!"_

_Sam sat back down and put her head into her hands while sobbing, "You just don't g-get it… I have to d-do it alone! It st-started with just me and h-him and it has to e-end that way!"_

"_Sam, sweetheart you're not making sense."_

"_Get away from me!"_

"_Sam…"_

"_Just stay the hell away from me! I'm going to do what I need to do and you're not going to keep me from it!"_

"_No you're not! I'm not letting you leave!"_

"_You're not gonna let me leave huh? Well fuck you."_

"_Sam do me a favor and calm THE FUCK DOWN!"_

_Sam stopped talking and then walked right over to him. She wrapped her arms around Ace's neck and he began to wonder what was up. He was spooked to say the least. Never had he seen her break down like that and vice versa never had he seen her just change moods so quickly._

"You want me to calm down eh? Well… how's this!?" Immediately she wrenched his neck and Ace felt a pain like no other explode in his neck. Crying out in pain he fell to the floor and watched helplessly as Sam got all of her gear on and then looked at him with hatred, "You're lucky I only sprained your neck. In all accounts I should have killed you."

With that Sam turned and walked out of the room and subsequently out of Ace's life. He felt a deeper and sharper pain in his chest than in his neck. Sam, the love of his life was walking away and he was helpless to do anything about it. He would've gotten up if he could but the pain was too great for him.

"_Sam… I love you… please don't leave me…"_

_Ace had no earthly clue on how long he laid there on the floor but the longer he was there the more the previous night came back to him. He remembered everything and never had he felt so ashamed. Because of his selfishness the woman he loved wanted nothing to do with him and he couldn't blame her. However that wouldn't mean that he wouldn't try to get her back either._

Ace snapped out of his reverie when he was pushed off of his barstool. Glaring up at Marco and Thatch he got back to his feet with a new resolve in hand. He would find Sam no matter what.

"Hey I'm going out to search again."

"Wha? Ace you didn't tell us what happened!"

"Ace!"

Ace got up and as he looked at the door he was hit by an overwhelming epiphany. "I'm such an idiot!"

"What?"

"We've checked all over town right?"

"Of course, where is this going?" Thatch asked.

"Where is the one place we haven't looked?"

"Uh…."

"Ace you're a genius!"

"Huh? Ace, Marco what are you going on about? Where haven't we looked?"

"Thatch, think about the entire island."

…..

"We've all looked all over town, right?"

"Yes…"

"What's behind this town?"

"Wilderness…."

"Do you remember the stories I told you guys of when I grew up?"

"Yeah…"

"… You do realize that Sam grew up with me right?"

"OH! So she's in the mountains?"

"YES he finally gets it!" Both Ace and Marco were cheering.

"S-shut up you idiots!"

Ace however was already out of the bar before Marco or Thatch could even get up. Making his way down the street he started toward the mountains with a new kick in his step. Sam was a challenge but Ace liked it.

**Sam's Pov**

I sighed as I turned over and over in the hollow in the tree. It was the middle of the night and I was pretty much comfortable. However it was later on when for some reason the temp seemed to spike and become unbearably hot.

Rolling over once more my face landed in something firm. Pulling my hand up in the darkness I felt something soft, smooth, and warm. I couldn't really see anything because there wasn't much light and I wasn't well equipped for seeing in the dark or anything.

Sitting up I felt further up and the broadness of whatever it was slimmed out and then got a bit broader. I fought the urge to scream though because the more I felt the more I had a feeling that I knew exactly what this thing was.

"Ace?" I called out quietly.

There was a chuckle and before I knew it the hollow was lit up. Ace was a bit cramped up in the hollow but still I was rather surprised at how we could both fit into it. His grin was splitting his face while one arm wrapped around my waist; successfully pulling me closer to him.

"Finally caught you my lovely wife."

"Should've known not to let my guard down around you. You're smarter than before."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment rather than an insult."

"Take it however you want but you're not going to take me."

"Why is that? I caught you."

"Not yet you haven't."

"What?"

In a flash I tossed myself out of the hollow and managed to land somewhat gracefully on my feet. Quickly finding my pack and tossing it onto my shoulders I hightailed it through the forest. Behind me I heard rapid footsteps but I couldn't focus on that now.  
Zigzagging through the trees I hooked a steep turn and then headed toward where the sun was coming up. This island wasn't that big; it had one town and then the rest was nothing but wilderness. This gave me the advantage.

Unfortunately we were about to run out of trees soon. Looking ahead showed that the forest was soon going to end and then we would be at some sort of rocky outcropping or a ledge perhaps. Biting my lip I went to change directions but noticed now that Thatch had joined the chase. Looking the other way revealed Thatch was here too. Shit.

Figuring that running straight was the best thing I could do I ran full speed ahead. The trees ran out and then I put on the brakes seeing as I was about to be tossed over the ledge and into the ocean. Turning around I saw that Ace, Marco, and Thatch were all surrounding me from the other three angles; there was no running away this time.

"Come on Sam; this is it." Ace said.

"How do you know that?"

"Sammy you're backed into a corner and surrounded by three commanders of whitebeard. In other words; you lose."

"Think again sweetheart."

In a flash I extended out my hand and all three commanders tensed up. I could see the confusion in their gazes; even Ace's. It was really quite comical to watch them try and wrench control of their bodies. Sadly though it wasn't going to do them much good; I had my hold on them.

"Sam what the hell did you do to us?" Ace snarled. I looked at him and then smirked. Really, how could he forget the very power that he'd helped me develop? I mean seriously he was there for everything.

In a few minutes of him struggling I sighed and then decided to make my escape. Walking past them I heard their screams. I turned and began to walk backwards; I didn't know how far or long I would be able to keep them since there were still abilities about my devil fruit that I was still working out.

Eventually I got to where I could barely see them and I felt my powers slacken off dramatically. Apparently sixty feet was the max range. Storing that information for later I turned and then took off with vigor in each step. There was no way that I was going to get caught. Looking down at my log pose I saw that it was still spinning around, _'Damn!'_

Getting to the edge of town I burst through into the crowd and immediately slung my pack from my back and pulled out a periwinkle scarf. Wrapping it around my head I stooped down for a minute and dumped all of my belongings onto the ground. Inverting my bag I put all of my stuff back in it and then slung it on my back before I tried to blend in with the crowd.

Behind me I heard the frustrated growls of Ace, Marco, and Thatch as they searched for me. They most likely wouldn't find me though; idiots. I kept up my leisurely pace and then turned down an alleyway while they went straight. Looking back to make sure that they weren't following me I turned out of the alleyway when suddenly something flashed in the corner of my eye. Whipping around I went to see what it was but suddenly my vision went black and a rough fabric was shoved over my head. _Shit…_

I awoke a bit later and felt the toss and turn of the sea. The rough floor was very dirty and I wouldn't be surprised to find a couple of splinters in my arms or something. Looking around proved that I was somewhere below deck in probably a mid-sized boat. The darkness of the room provided very few details on if I was alone or had company.  
Struggling for a bit I managed to sit up and lean against the wall of the boat. How the hell did I get myself into this mess? Shaking the grogginess out of my head I then felt a bit better. Getting to my feet I stumbled around a bit until I hit barrels. Sniffing at one I found that it was filled with beer. Grinning I got an idea for whenever some idiot decided to come down here and get me.

Hours passed but still no one had come down to see how their lovely prisoner was. So to keep myself from getting bored I focused on wearing away at the ropes around my wrists; props to whoever tied these on me because they were painful. I could feel blood leaking down my hands and by now my wrists were killing me.

Just as I was about a little less than halfway through the strips I heard a loud racket and lots of screaming. Scrambling with renewed vigor I attempted to break through the bonds faster but it really wasn't happening any time soon.

The screaming and what I guessed to be fighting up above continued to rage on until suddenly the ship tilted to the left. Naturally everything (including myself) on the right went toward the left. I attempted to scrabble back but that was of no use since I had pretty much no use from my hands and my feet had very little traction. Which of course caused me to slam into all the kegs. The air left my lungs in a great rush while I attempted to regain some control. Yet as I tried to the ship tilted back toward the right and I was sent sliding again. Growling as I scrambled away from being crushed I flopped down on top of a keg and rolled my eyes; with all of the moving about there was no way I would be able to free my wrists. This was just not my week.

The doors set above the stairs opened and interrupted my brooding. Upon hearing heavy footfalls I hissed as bright light hit my eyes. I didn't realize that I had been in the dark all that long. There was a couple moments of silence and then I was hauled up onto my feet. I struggled a bit in the grasp of whoever this was but suddenly the person put me down, "Sam?"

I groaned at that voice; it was Ace _fucking _D. Portgas. Oh yes, this really wasn't my week at all. He looked around and as soon as he saw me his face lit up with excitement and what seemed like concern.

Making his way over to me he took off the ties on my wrists and I quickly brought them in front of me. Blood was oozing out of them and running down my wrists as my fingers were clenching and unclenching. Ace gently took a hold of my hands and looked at my wrists.

"Do you know who tied you up?" He asked calmly.

"I don't know… I woke up down here. Wait… what the hell are you doing here?"

He smirked at me, "They tried to attack one of the Whitebeard Pirates and now they're dead."

"Why is that?"

"Because they dared to do this to you. Can you stand?"

"My legs aren't injured dumbass."

He smiled as he helped pull me up to my feet. Ace steadied me and then looked into my eyes. Before I knew it his lips were on mine; damn I forgot what this felt like. However I didn't kiss back; I was still mad at him. Eventually he pulled away from me with a slightly sad look. Picking me up he chuckled at my startled gasp as he made his way to the stairs.

Glaring at him he just smiled back; cheeky bastard. Rolling my eyes I simply pushed his chest slightly. We made it to the deck and there was Whitebeard himself, Thatch, Marco, and a few other nameless crew members. There were more pirates on the deck on their knees; I'm guessing the crew of this fine hell hole.

Looking at who I inferred was the captain he looked from me to ace and paled slightly. Raising an eyebrow I looked back to see that Ace was glaring dangerously at the man. Rolling my eyes I pushed Ace's shoulder and then jumped out of his arms. My feet hit the deck and my legs wobbled before beginning to give out.

Ace was quick to scoop me up again into his arms while a few chuckles went around as I had to wrap my arms around his neck. Scowling I crossed my arms but didn't try and jump out of Ace's arm's again. He pulled me closer into his embrace and then turned to address the other crew.

"So who is the captain of this vessel?" Ace asked neutrally.

"I-I am." The man that had locked gazes with me earlier spoke up; he looked ready to puke.

Ace was asking the captain but looking at me, "Do you know who this is?"

"No."

"This is my wife; do you know where I found her?"

"N-no."

"Below deck tied up. In fact when I found her she was bleeding from where the ropes had rubbed her wrists raw. Do you know what happens when you mess with a member of the Whitebeard Pirates?"

The man could only shake his head.

"You mess with one Whitebeard Pirate you mess with us all."

"But she's not a part of your crew! We saw no mark on her body anywhere!"

My eyes opened wide, "You didn't!" I snarled.

Ace's grip was tighter on me now, "She's my wife. If you disrespect her it's a direct act of disrespect to me, who is a member of the Whitebeard Pirates."

"I'm sorry! I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, SO, sorry! I didn't know! If I did I swear to you that I would never have even looked at her twice! Please, please don't kill me! Take my worthless crew to do what you wish with them!"

I snorted, "You know captains who break so easily to beg and even offer up their crew in exchange shouldn't be in this world. Captains should be just as willing to lay down their life for their crew as their crew is for their captain. It's your kind that gives pirates a bad reputation as being heartless and uncaring of everyone around us. Don't beg for forgiveness, it's pathetic."

"B-but I mea-"

"You heard her." Ace cut in.

The captain shut his mouth as tears fell from his eyes. His crew eyed him with disgust as they shook their heads. "Alright everyone leave the captain to his crew." Whitebeard said as if suddenly bored with the situation.

Ace turned and began to make his way back to the ship. I sighed sadly; they'd caught me technically. Slumping against Ace and blinking slowly he must've mistaken me acting like that as being tired because he took me down below deck and into a room far away from the barracks we passed.

The room itself was pretty simple. It had a window and in the corner a hammock set up. There was a door on the other side of the room which most likely led to a bathroom. There was all manner of shelves filled with various knick knacks and bobbles.

Ace walked over to the hammock and set me gently into it. After that he put the blanket over me and kissed my forehead. "Don't worry; I'll get you up later to talk to Pops." He whispered in my ear. After that he exited the room and I was once again all alone. Sitting there for a moment I was almost tempted to fall asleep; then again.

Getting onto my feet I padded over to the other door in his room and opened it. A pristine bathroom was shown and I sighed happily; at least I could get a decent shower. Locking the door behind me I got a towel out and turned the shower on. Stripping out of my filthy clothes I stepped into the warm spray and almost groaned in pleasure. It had been a bit since I had taken a shower as nice as this one.

Taking up the sponge on the soap bar holder I took up a bit of the body wash there and squirted it on. Running the sponge all over I washed the suds off and then began to lather my hair up with the shampoo. After that was done I just sat there for a bit under the amazingly warm shower; how did they do that on this ship?

Eventually I managed to drag my body out of the shower and wrap the towel around my body. Smelling the air in the bathroom I scrunched my nose; I smelled like a guy. Wrapping my now clean wrists off I then looked down at the dirty clothes on the floor and realized that I didn't have any clothes to change out into. Growling I wrapped the towel tighter around me and went into Ace's room.

Going over to the drawer I opened up the dresser that was pushed against the wall and saw that he had only his shorts, boots, and socks. Taking out a pair of shorts I tied those on tightly and searched around for a shirt. Five minutes later and pulling all of his drawers out I finally found a shirt shoved right in the back. Pulling on the oversized piece of clothing I wrinkled my nose at how big it was but it was better than nothing.

Yawning I crawled back into the hammock and curled the blanket around me once more. Burying my face into its soft surface I inhaled the scent; the scent of the body wash and a bit of smoke. In other words it smelled exactly like Ace. Eyes fluttering closed I was asleep in no time.

**Ace's Pov**

To say that Ace was over the moon was completely accurate. Finally, after so long he had his girl back in his company again. A grin was slightly on his face while he had a bit of a pep in his step.

The meeting had gone over rather well and Whitebeard had instructed him to check on Sam as well as try to get her adjusted to life as a Whitebeard Pirate. These were probably the best orders he'd had in a long time.

Making it to his-no-_their _room he opened the door. The room itself was a bit muggy and smelled of his shampoo suggesting that she'd taken a shower. Shutting the door behind him Ace looked over to the hammock where Sam was peacefully sleeping soundly.

She was curled up with the blanket half on her and half off, mouth open slightly. Ace didn't fail to notice that she was also wearing his clothes to sleep in; not that it bothered him. In fact his heart really beat faster at the sight; yeah this was a good day.

Yawning slightly, Ace made his way over to the hammock and climbed into it as gracefully as possible. Sam's eyes fluttered open a bit but soon they shut as she drifted off back to sleep. Ace gingerly slid his arm around her slim physique and pulled her close to him.

Putting his face to rest on the top of her head Ace took in her scent. Yes, she did smell like him but there was also a… sweeter scent mixed in there. He missed her so much that just thinking of all the time they spent apart made his heart constrict painfully. Hugging her tightly to him, Ace made a promise that nothing was going to come between them again. It didn't matter Sam was civil toward him or not.

Sam slightly fidgeted in her sleep, a whimper softly escaping the confines of her mouth. Ace gazed down to see that she looked scared. Gently pressing her head to his chest, Ace began to whisper comforting words into her ear. Eventually it worked and she was once again sleeping peacefully.


	5. Chapter 5

The first thing I registered was that the scent of Ace was stronger. Moving slightly my eyes opened and I saw my hand resting on a smooth, tan surface. I paled and Ace chuckled, causing my hand to move up and down with his torso.

Startled I jumped back and began to fall out of the hammock; _shit_. Yet at the last possible moment Ace snatched me back up into the hammock and against his bare chest once more. "Careful there Sammy." He warned.

Blushing at my old nickname I tried to get away from him, "Shut up you Flaming Dunce."

"Aw, I'm so hurt."

"S-shut up! I hate you!"

Ace's mirth subsided as he took on a more serious look, "You can't be serious Sam."

I cast my eyes anywhere but at him, "Maybe I am…"

Ace took my hand in his; our rings clinked as they touched one another. "I don't regret this Sam. To me these rings are a proud reminder that I'm married to the woman I love with my entire being. You may think that this was a mistake but it's not. I mean why else would you keep this on your finger?"

"I kept it on my finger to sense when you were close so I could avoid you!"

"Sam, you and I know that deep down you still have feelings for me."

"Lie."

"So you say but you and I know that you can only fool yourself for so long. Samantha I love you and I mean it. These rings are proof of that."

I still didn't look at him, "Sure…"

Ace sighed as he just let go of my hand and removed his arm from around me. I scrambled out of the hammock and dropped to the floor. Looking around I noticed that my bag was now in the corner of his room nearest the door. Going over to it I picked it up and then ducked into the bathroom.

Sliding into my clothes I gave myself a once over in the mirror and grimaced. My hair was wild and curly which I absolutely hated. Putting it up into a bun I gave myself another once over and nodded, pleased with what I saw.

Exiting the bathroom I saw Ace standing in the doorway waiting for me. Scowling slightly I none the less allowed him to take my hand and walk through the ship. On the way he would explain minor details or interesting facts about the ship here and there. I had to say that I was rather impressed.

Making it to the galley he steered me over to a plump woman who was stirring something on the massive stove that smelled delicious. Her dark hair was knotted into a tight bun while her brows were furrowed in concentration.

"This is our head cook, Mercedes." Ace explained.

The woman turned to us and upon looking at me she gained a softer expression. Wiping her hands into her apron she held her hand out to me, "Nice to meet you darling, feel free to stop in whenever." She said kindly then turned to Ace, "You, Fire Fist, had better get out of my kitchen while we're working." Ace held up his hands in surrender as he began to usher me with him, "And no snacking on my food on the way out!"

"You're so mean to me!"

"Yeah well then don't make me right all the time!"

Chuckling, Ace tossed back a farewell before he put his arm over my shoulder as we entered into the hallway. Knocking his arm off of me I gave him a look before allowing him to continue on. Ace frowned slightly but just took my hand in his. Glaring at him I didn't pull my hand away. As much as I hated to have to hold onto him, there were a lot of people on this ship.

As the tour was concluding Ace brought me up to the deck. Salty air hit my face and I inhaled deeply at the aroma, lovely. Twirling around slightly I saw that there were many people rushing to and fro in order to keep things shipshape. Then at the very back was Whitebeard along with what looked like a few other people.

Hearing a laugh I stop spinning around and glare at Ace as he came over to me. "Why the hell are you laughing at me you Flaming dunce?" I snap.

"Hey now, I just thought about when you and I used to dance together way back when."

I smacked him in the shoulder, "You make it sound like I'm an old hag or something."

He smirked, "You're beautiful; you know that right?" He brought an arm behind me and pulled me in close.

"You know that you're in my space right?"

"But of course, what fun would it be if I wasn't?"

Smirking I pulled myself in closer to him if that was possible, "Indeed." With that I proceeded to bring my knee up into him, hard.

All of the air rushed from the downed male's lungs as his eyes grew painfully wide. Stepping away from him I looked down to see that he was kneeling painfully on the deck. Hearing raucous laughter I looked over to see Whitebeard, Marco, Thatch, and some woman laughing.

"Abuse…" Ace muttered. Looking down at him I deadpanned at his theatrics, really? He finally got to his feet as the laughter died down. Sending a glare toward me I smirked before motioning for him to go and lead me to meet my new… captain.

Captain, oh how I hated that word. I hated it so much that I thought about puking. To me a captain is just another person trying to control my every movement. That didn't sit well with me, I'm usually the one giving orders, not receiving them.

Making it to the top of the stairs I stood there in front of Whitebeard. He towered over me but the smile on his face made it less threatening. Ace once again tried to put his arm over my shoulders but I stepped away from him before he could. He shot me a saddened look but didn't try that again.

"Hello there my daughter! I hope that your sleep was peaceful." Whitebeard began. I tightened my jaw before snorting. I didn't want to be here in the least and I wanted to make sure that he knew that full and well.

"I'm not your daughter." I tersely replied.

"Hey! Be nice to Pops!" Ace barked. I simply kicked the fire user in the shin.

Whitebeard only chuckled at our actions, "You fight like an old couple."

"We're not a couple." I snarled.

"I meant no harm but I just assumed that you were Ace's wife."

"I carry the title but that is it. Nothing more."

"Still, I take it that you're settling in?"

I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes, "Yes I am but I won't tolerate perverts. Anyone touches me in a way I don't like and I will react violently."

Whitebeard nodded, "As I would expect you to. Now i'm sure Ace has explained that you're in his fleet to lead, correct?"

"What?"

I whipped around to stare dangerously at the dark haired idiot. He only grimaced before stepped back to avoid the kick I sent his way. "NO, I didn't hear about that." I snarled while walking toward Ace.

"S-sam wait a minute now! Come on I was going to tell you but you never-Ack!- Sam that hurt! Seriously would you –ow!- just listen to me for a -ah!- second? OW! Mercy woman!" Ace pleaded as I wrestled him to the ground and began to beat him with my shoe.

He was squirming left and right in order to try and avoid my furious hits but he was doing a pretty poor job at it. More laughter rang out before Marco took pity on his fellow Devil Fruit User and pulled me off.

Growling I whipped around to attack Marco, who hastily backed away with his hands up in a harmless manner. A nervous smile was on his face as I stared him down with a deadly gaze. I started toward him but at that moment Ace came up behind me and caught me in a huge bear hug.

"Let go of me you son of a bitch! How many freaking times do I have to tell you not to touch me?!" I snarled while struggling to get away from him. He held me tightly and eventually I had all of the fight drained out of me.

"She's quite the little spitfire there Ace." The woman said.

"Sam, this is Izo who is one of the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates." Ace explained.

"Hello Sam."

"Hi."

She laughed again before Whitebeard called our attention back to him. We all looked over to see that he was staring right at Ace and I.

"Yes captain?" Ace asked.

"Nothing, I was just about to dismiss you both."

"Alright Captain, thank you."

When I didn't say anything Ace shook me slightly, "Thanks." I growled.

Whitebeard merely laughed again before motioning us off. Ace picked me up and walked us down the stairs before setting me down. Once I was firmly on the ground I whipped around and punched him straight in the gut. The wind was driven out of his lungs and he once again dropped to the ground.

Glaring at him I rolled my eyes and then began to walk toward the kitchen. Ace's loud footsteps could be heard from behind. Continuing on I hooked a left and walked straight into the kitchen. Mercedes looked up at me and smiled, "Hello there darling- out Fire Fist!"

I had to chuckle at Ace's growl of annoyance as he slammed the kitchen door on his way out. Mercedes smiled at me and then went back to chopping up vegetables to throw into the soup that was babbling on the stove.

The kitchen itself was pretty chaotic. Numerous chefs were racing to and fro between dishes of all assortments. There were sounds of chopping, mincing, cracking, bubbling, banging, and much more that all joined in to be a cacophonous mix.

"Is something the matter darling?" Mercedes asked as she dumped the vegetables into the mix.

I shook my head slightly, "No… yes… I don't know."

"Well, tell me whatever you'd like until you figure it out. I'm very good at multitasking."

I sighed slightly, "Well… it's just that I don't want to be a Whitebeard Pirate. I mean I would have won the bet if I hadn't have been kidnapped. Plus not to mention I'm now around Ace twenty-four seven and I share a room with the ass."

"Is it true that you're his wife?" Mercedes gave me a two second curious look before going back to what she was doing.

"Yeah… it was a mistake that should've never happened."

"Why do you say that dearie?"

"Ace tricked me into getting so drunk that I had no idea of what I was doing."

"Have you tried to divorce him?"

I looked at the floor with a rotten scowl in place, "I've tried numerous times but apparently the marriage that we're in can't be undone. I'm forever married to the idiot…"

"Well, all I can say is that Ace is a sweet lad. I love him like a son and I know for a fact that he loves you wholeheartedly. All of the other crew bring women aboard or go to a local whorehouse, except for Ace. He always carries a picture of you two kissing as well. He thought that I didn't see the photo when it fell out of his pocket but I don't usually miss a beat. Then when he saw you again he wouldn't stop talking about you and the way he looked you could almost taste the love off of it."

"Then he should've waited until I was ready to be married."

Mercedes sighed before flicking her hand at me, "Go on then, I have dinner to prepare."

Nodding my head I slid off of the barstool I had perched myself on long ago and began to make my way toward the door. Walking into the hallway I noticed Ace just sitting there with a blank expression. While I was a bit annoyed at him still being here I also felt something else… what that feeling was I wouldn't be able to describe.

As soon as he heard the door shut his head snapped over to look at me. I studied him for a moment as he got up and Mercedes was right, there was a change in the way he looked at me. Shaking it off I walked past him toward the room (I refuse to call it 'ours').

Behind me, Ace trailed along like a lost puppy. Passing Marco, I noted the smirk he had on his face. Rolling my eyes I just kept on walking until I got to the room. Opening the door I got to the hammock and jumped inside it before pulling the covers over.

However there was no way that I was going to be able to sleep with his gaze burning into my back. Rolling over to look at him, I arched an eyebrow. "Any reason you're staring because I'll tell you right now, you get the floor." I stated.

He opened his mouth as if to say something but in the end closed it. Walking over he gently grabbed the second pillow there and lay down on the floor next to me. He turned his back to me and I just stared at him relatively surprised, he was seriously going to sleep on the floor?

It seemed that way because Ace made no motions indicating that he was going to move. Lying back into the hammock I stared at the ceiling as the ship rocked gently, a slight feeling of guilt nagging at me. However I managed to push the guilty feeling away enough to sleep.

**Ace's Pov**

Ace lay there on the floor thinking about Sam who was sleeping just above him. Oh how he wished that he could sleep next to her but he didn't want her anger.

Desperately, so desperately Ace wanted Sam to have feelings for him again. So for now if she wanted to have space then he would sleep on the floor. If she didn't want his arm over her then he wouldn't do that. However he did noticed that he was making progress because she didn't snatch her hand away from his when he grasped it earlier.

Hearing a light whimper he turned around to see Sam looking troubled in her sleep. A frown came to his face, he didn't like to see his girl uncomfortable. She tossed lightly once more and then came to a rest with her face snuggled into his blanket. Looking at her in relative peace he sees all of the wonderful innocence that she once held.

After no more small struggles in her sleep, Ace decided to stop watching her in case she woke up. Lying his head down on his pillow the Devil Fruit User just thought back to the times when he and Sam were together. He still remembered the day he asked her out and she said yes. That was one of the best days of his life.

Ace had no idea of how long he was on the floor going through his past mentally but eventually there was a knock on the door. Before Ace could really call out, Marco stepped in starting to ask a question but stopped with an eyebrow raised at the Second Division Commander.

"Why are you on the floor?" Marco asked.

"I'd rather Sam not take my head off at the moment."

"You know she's got a really bad attitude. What did you do to piss her off so much?"

"I'll explain it later."

"Or you could explain it now."

"Marco, I already explained it to Pops today. If you seriously want to know what happened then go ask him."

Marco sighed heavily, "Fine, oh and by the way dinner is ready. You might want to wake up your… well just wake up Sam and come eat."

Marco shut the door before Ace could retaliate. Biting back one of his ingenious retorts Ace picked himself up off of the floor. Stretching his stiff limbs his back cracked into place with a sickening symphony of snaps. He grimaced at the sound, sleeping on the floor was gonna be rough.

Turning toward the hammock Ace found Sam curled up and snuggling into his blanket. His heart began to beat a bit faster oh how he missed her. Reaching out a slightly shaky hand he ran his fingers through silky crimson tresses. Sam always did have the softest hair. Whining slightly she turned away from him and her hair fell through his fingers. Ace smiled softly, she always hated for it to be touched as well.

Shaking himself out of the trance he was about to settle into Ace put a hand onto Sam. "Sammy, it's time to wake up." He whispered softly while gently rocking her. She whined before swatting at his hand. "Sammy, dinner's ready."

"Then get out of my way, I'm starving."

Well that did the trick.

**Sam's Pov**

I was pretty annoyed to be awoken from my wonderful slumber. The dream I was having was fairly pleasant and I did not appreciate it being interrupted by Ace. Whimpering I slapped at his hands before he retracted them. He probably just wanted me up for some stupid reason.

For a few seconds I thought that I was safe from him but alas I was not. He began to shake me again, "Sammy, dinner's ready." He then said. Immediately my eyes opened as I felt my stomach constrict annoyingly, yup, time to get up.

"Then get out of my way, I'm starving."

Jumping out of the hammock I landed right next to him. Ace gave me a smile before we began to walk for the door. Getting to said obstacle he opened it up for me; oh the gentleman. Brushing past him, he followed behind on the way to the dining hall.

The hall itself was pretty cacophonous with all of the pirates sitting all over the place. Food was piled high left and right and the aroma was enough to make my mouth salivate a river. There were several tables with men and women mixed in all sitting and chattering with one another. Ace put an arm around my waist and began to steer me toward the table with Whitebeard and what looked like the other commanders sitting there.

Growling I unwrapped myself from his lovely arm and shook my head. Ace looked at me with a firm expression, "Come on." He said.

"No way, I can tell that table is for commanders and Whitebeard only. I'm not sitting there."

"You don't know anyone else here."

"I can make friends."

"Uh-huh well then where are you going to sit if not with me?"

"Is there any way these tables are really sectioned?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Okay then, bye."

Before Ace could say anything I quickly darted off to a random open seat. Sitting down next to a girl with dark magenta hair and a guy with spikey brown hair with auburn tips, I smiled at them slightly nervously. The guy smiled back but the girl only gave me a twitch-smile. Shrugging my shoulders I began to dig into the food.

"Wow, you eat just like the commander does." The guy laughs.

Looking up from my food I swallowed the mouthful, "Who is your commander?"

"Portgas D. Ace."

"Me too, I'm Sam by the way."

The guy smiled before extending his hand to me, "My name is Kellin Ratchford, nice to meet you."

"Likewise." I said while shaking his hand.

Through dinner we chatted back and forth at each other. I could feel Ace's gaze on me constantly but I ignored it professionally. I really liked Kellin, he was pretty cool. Turns out that he lived in the island next to Dawn Island. He grew up the youngest of six siblings and managed to join the Whitebeard Pirates when he was just fifteen years old.

Whenever he'd ask I'd tell him about my childhood growing up with Ace and Luffy. I'd tell him about the adventures we used to have and all of the trouble we'd get into. He actually listened to everything and gave feedback, it was quite different.

Hearing a crash I looked back to see that Ace had fallen asleep in his food once more. I snickered noticing that no one seemed to be really bothered or alarmed at what happened. Shaking my head I turned back to my conversation with Kellin as well as eating food.

As the time passed people began to get up and leave. I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning around I saw Ace standing there. Kellin said hello to which Ace tersely replied before asking if I was good to go. Setting my jaw I got up and bid Kellin a goodnight.

Kellin hesitantly replied and I looked to see Ace looking less than pleased. Smacking the commander I glared back before stalking off. We got into the hallway and were just about back to the room when Ace gently grabbed a hold of my wrist, effectively stopping me.

"So I take it you made friends with Kellin."

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"Be careful around him, sometimes he goes a little too far."

"Ace I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

"Sam seriously, please just listen for once."

My gaze met with his, "I have been listening, thing is though, when do you ever listen to anything I say?"

"Sam I do-"

"No, you don't! You have _never _listened to _anything _I've wanted! You never even put a single _thought_ about what I say to you!"

"You seem to forget that I have!"

"_Oh like when I said I didn't want to get married_?"

Ace immediately shut up and I knew that I'd struck a chord. He just stared at me with an unreadable expression that revealed nothing. Just as he took a step forward I instinctively took a step back, there was something about his calm demeanor that was so fucking unnerving.

However after a moment the fire user seemed to snap out of it. He stepped away from me and then walked to the room. Slamming the door shut everything fell silent. I stared at the wooden barrier, maybe I would sleep on the deck tonight, I mean how bad could one night really be?


	6. Chapter 6

**Ace's Pov**

Ace lay down in the hammock with no emotion. How could she sink that low? Why would she say that, can't she see how much he really loves her? Shaking his head Ace lays there and stares at the wall. Part of him had a smug feeling of satisfaction at her dilemma, either sleep in the hammock with him or find somewhere else to sleep.

However as the night wore on Ace could tell that Sam hadn't come into the room which meant she was somewhere else. Sighing he rolled out of the hammock and onto his feet. Noticing Sam's bag by the door Ace actually found himself going through it.

Ace poured all of the contents out onto the floor before looking at everything there. A bag of Belli, some food, clothes, a book, and a small bag were all that she had. Inspecting the bag of belli for a moment he thought better about it and tossed it back into the bag. Picking up the food his stomach growled so he quickly gulped that down and then looked at her clothes. A frown was upon his face at them, before he knew what he was doing they all had burn holes in them.

Making a face Ace put the burned articles aside and then picked up the bag. The feeling of it was a strange weigh to it. Gently pulling at the strings to loosen the bag the fire user didn't realize that he had the bag tilted. Whatever was in there fell to the ground with a slightly metallic clang and Ace cursed at the sound.

However when no one came in he then gingerly picked up the object. Holding it close to his other hand he lit a flame to see the hairpiece he had gotten for her. Immediately nostalgia washed over him, perhaps she didn't completely hate him after all. Why would she keep something of his if she hated him, right?

Gently smoothing his thumb over the surface he sat there for a few moments before gently placing the clip back in the small bag and then reaching for the book. Opening it up he realized that this was her diary, funny since he'd never seen her keep one before. Flipping to a page he began to read.

_Oct. 16__th__, somewhere in the North Blue_

_ It's been a bit since I've written in this and I really need to get back into the habit of it but I almost ran into Ace again. He looked pretty good and I was a tiny bit glad that he was doing alright and keeping his heath up. I figured that he would have been offed by now with that damn narcolepsy of his, or perhaps drowned by falling asleep eating soup. I have to say that some nights I do miss him… but there's no excuse for him tricking me into marrying him! If he would have just waited perhaps a few years more then I would have gladly married the fool!..._

Ace flipped to another page, not wanting to remember why she hated him. However a small part of him was glad to know that in her own quiet way she still cared about him. Pushing his thumb down on the page to stop it Ace looked down at the new entry, it seemed fairly recent.

_April 3__rd__, Emerald Island_

_ Well, I'm fairly close to home once more. It's a bittersweet feeling to tell the truth. As much as I'm glad to be back in familiar waters, this ocean holds many skeletons for me. It's been so long since I've been this close to my birth island that I wonder what father would say. I wonder if he misses mother… I know that I miss her so much. When I get my hands on Teague he's going to wish that he'd never set foot on Ruby Island all those years ago! I'll make him pay for enslaving me and making me eat that damn fruit! My only hope is that I don't run into Ace before that, I don't want to get that mixed in with Teague. I don't even want to think about what Teague would do if he found out about my connection to Ace… Well, on that note I'm gonna just go to a local bar and get drunk._

Ace grinned before shutting the book, Emerald Island… that was the island he found her at before this entire bet. Putting all of Sam's possessions back into the bag Ace put it by the door and then went out in search of his feisty wife. Even though some of the things she wrote about him weren't great he still didn't miss the few caring remarks in there.

Passing by the galley Ace stuck his head in to see if Sam was possibly in there but the room was empty. However the bit about Teague had him worrying a bit, she was enslaved before? Also, she was from Ruby Island? Ace had never heard of Ruby Island before, in fact he had no idea it even existed.

Checking a few other rooms Ace then walked up onto the deck. He was beginning to worry that she either found a way to escape or one of the other crew members had snatched her up. Quickly making a jog around the edges of the vast ship he didn't find her so he put on the afterburners. Quickly making his way toward the places on deck he hadn't checked he heard a hiss of pain, a feminine hiss of pain.

Bee lining in that direction Ace found Sam pinned against the ship by a shadowy silhouette. Whoever it was wasn't going to live much longer.

**Sam's Pov**

You know, I seriously was just sleeping peacefully on the deck when WHAM! Someone's stupid hand was slapped over my mouth! Snarling into the hand I looked up to see no one I knew. Kicking out my foot it connected with the person's shin. A manly grunt was heard before he slammed me against the side of the ship.

"Listen up and listen really well, you're not going to fight or say a word about anything that happens tonight, got it?" The voice hissed. Acrid and rank breath washed over me, generally making my stomach turn over. I had a feeling that I knew exactly what was going to be going on tonight and like hell I wouldn't try and fight.

Wriggling around I kicked out into his stomach and bit at the hand over my mouth. The man let out a slight yelp but still held tightly. I squirmed some more and began to attempt to yank my arms away. If I could get my arms free then I would be able to fight back against him. I wouldn't kill him since killing one of your own crew (even if you don't want to be in the crew) is a very bad thing to do.

Just as I was getting one hand free the guy repositioned his grip and slammed me harder against the wall. Spots swam in my vision as my head rolled to the side slightly, that hit scrambled my brains. My legs were beginning to buckle underneath myself but magically they still held my body up.

I hissed in pain when my hair was harshly tugged, pulling my head back. "If you don't quit I will toss you overboard to drown little devil fruit user." Immediately I stilled, how did he know that I was a devil fruit user?

Just as he began to reach for my shirt I began to feel tears prickle at my eyes. How the hell did I get myself into this position? Just as he was beginning to take my top off, a flame smashed right beside the both of us, making the man quickly step away from me. "You know, I'm certain that my wife would like to keep her clothes on her." Ace said deadly serious as he stepped out of the deep shadows. His hat was pulled down to shadow his eyes and a fireball rested in the palm of his hand.

Immediately the person who was holding onto me turned around and made a break for the side of the ship. Ace shot out his fireball while I held my hand out and crushed the bones in the guy's legs with his own blood. The red liquid sprayed out onto the deck and some of it smacked me in the face.

The hot crimson life got into my mouth and immediately I was retching on the deck trying to get the horrible taste from out of my mouth. My arms were shaking as I continued to just empty my stomach of everything in it, which wasn't all that much.

I was so preoccupied with what was going on that when a warm hand was placed comfortingly on my back I jumped slightly. However after a moment and my ring practically burning me I realized who it was behind me. Once I was finally able to stop upchucking Ace picked me up and took us back to the room.

Carrying me into the bathroom he helped me wash my mouth out and then got a washcloth. He sat me down on the sink counter and then began to gently wash away the blood. When he first touched the cloth to my face I jerked slightly but none the less allowed him to help me out, I was completely drained. Wrapping up my injured arm he looked up at me once but when our eyes met immediately he looked down to my arm once more.

Once that was finished he then tossed the washrag into a random corner of the room and just stood there, I'm guessing he was wondering what to do now but I needed to say something first.

"Ace?" I asked quietly. Inside I was cursing myself for how pitiful I sounded but there was no helping that right now.

"Are you alright Sam? He didn't do anything to you?"

I shook my head, "No, you got there in time… I… look, I just wanted to say… thank-you. I mean I know I haven't been easy lately and for you to rescue me like that… especially after what I said. I've got a lot of shit to get over and let go of and I know that I've been a bitch to you. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry for the stuff I've said and done lately."

"Sam, what you said was pretty unforgiveable. Yeah we're married but you need to get over the fact because it's not going to change. Now can we try and start over and act like a couple should?" Ace cut in.

"I… fine, I'll try it but do we really have to be a couple?"

Ace chuckled slightly, "Sam, seriously."

Sighing I nodded my head, "Fine…"

Ace leaned in and our lips touched one other in a sweet kiss. I missed him so much however he broke the kiss with a yawn. That yawn was contagious because I soon mimicked him. Chuckling Ace picked me up again, "You're sleeping in here and I don't want to hear any complaints." He said as he then put me into the hammock.

He went to climb into the hammock himself but I tossed a pillow into his face, gentler than last time. "Sorry Fire Fist but I was serious about the floor thing, just until we can get separate hammocks." I said. He sighed before bending to my wishes and making camp on the floor. Tossing his blanket down to him I then curled up and my eyes sealed themselves shut, I was completely wiped.

Awakening in the morning I stretched and rolled over on my stomach. Peering down through the mesh I saw Ace flat on his back snoring away, loud. Rolling my eyes I gingerly slid out of the hammock, some things never seem to change. A sharp throb of pain rolling through my right arm, looking at the bandage showed it bloody.

Ignoring the annoying injury I picked up my bag I walked into the bathroom to change. Taking out a top, shorts, and some undergarments I then put the last one on. Holding up my shirt to put on I noticed that there were burn holes through everything. Inspecting it for a moment I then looked to see that my pants were the same way. Blinking once I was then rapidly going through all of my clothes but saw that every single one of them were the same way.

Storming out of the bathroom I headed straight for the culprit of my burned clothes, "ACE D. FUCKING PORTGAS, WAKE THE HELL UP!" I snarled while throwing my clothes on him.

**Ace's Pov**

Ace was having such a wonderful and guy type dream. Ah this was one of the times where some people think why can't dreams come true- "ACE D. FUCKING PORTGAS, WAKE THE HELL UP!" His woman's voice sliced through all dreams in an instant.

Something smacked into him and Ace opened up his eyes to assess the situation. The things on top of him were soft and smelled faintly like Sam. Sam herself sounded furious and he could hear her heavy breathing which meant she was trying to control herself from becoming violent. Oh boy she must've found the clothes.

Sitting up he turned around to explain but looking at his lovely spouse immediately cleared his brain of all thoughts. Here was Sam, red faced in a white lacy bra and underwear that had a pink ribbon perfectly placed on it. Was she trying to make him want to tie her down and- _Focus Ace! Furious wife at the moment right in front of you! _Sometimes Ace really hated his conscience.

"U-uh… Can I… can I help you?" Was all Ace could mutter as his gaze began to trace over her voluptuous figure.

Sam sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "What, happened, to my clothes?" She asked slowly.

"Uh… no idea."

"Really now, you have no idea how those _burn holes _appeared in my clothes oh _fire fist_?"

"No."

Sam clenched her jaw for a moment before taking a deep breath and exhaling, "Alright then, I guess I'll have to wear my back up shorts and a bikini top until I can get some other clothes."

Before Ace could react she was back in the bathroom and then in a flash she was back out in short navy green shorts and a bikini top with black laced up combat boots. She looked a bit uncomfortable but Ace was too busy trying to not drool on the floor. Did Sam know how… appetizing she looked like that? The men on the ship were going to be hounding after her and that meant more people that Ace would have to threaten to stay away from his beautiful woman.

"Well, are you coming to breakfast?" Sam asked slightly impatiently.

Immediately Ace was on his feet, "You're not going anywhere without me until we can get you some more clothes, that's an order as your commander."

**Sam's Pov**

My eyes narrowed slightly at his words but I would play along for now. I smiled and slightly licked my lips as I walked up and put my arms around his neck, "Hmm, I kinda like it when you pull your boss-man card" I began and then leaned lightly toward his ear as his tensed, "But then again… it's annoying as well." Biting his ear gently I quickly untangled myself from him and then was in the doorway smirking, "You're really slow." With that I was racing down the hallway toward the galley.

Behind me I could hear Ace racing to catch up with me. I giggled slightly before racing even faster. However when the door opened, I ran into Marco who immediately wrapped his arms around me when I began to fall backwards.

He took one look at what I was wearing and just raised an eyebrow. I gave him a sly look and he seemed to understand because he smirked and just let me go as Ace was catching up, "Marco don't let her get away!" Ace wailed exasperatedly.

Seeing the galley doors in view I hightailed it and made a bounding leap. Bursting into the galley I noticed everyone looking at me. I gave them a look back before seeing Kellin and making my way over to him quickly. Sitting down at the table the chatter resumed. Just as I was about to bite into a deliciously warm biscuit someone snatched me away from my treat.

Growling I knew who it was from the abnormal body temperature. Looking up I scowled at Ace as he kept walking on straight ahead. He sat down at the Commander table and then glared all around the table, daring someone to say something. No one spoke a single word so Ace turned to me with a smile and motioned for me to begin eating.

Marco sat on my other side and prodded me out of my glaring at Ace. Just as I opened my mouth to tell him to stop that my stomach decided to growl so I just shut my mouth. Reaching out I grabbed up another buttered biscuit, eggs, fruits of all kinds, and various other foods.

Even though I was generally uncomfortable eating up at the commander table I just ignored it and ate my food. Beside me Ace was shoveling down his food and then reached for mine. Stabbing the fork down right in front of his fingertips I turned to him as everyone quieted down, "Mine." I growled.

Ace smirked, "You so sure?"

"Crazy sure."

"Want to fight for your food?"

"I'll win, I swear it."

"Come on then Sammy."

"You're on Fire Boy."

Crashing into him we began to roll around and wrestle one another before he pinned me down on the floor. Grinning down at me I knew what he was saying and that wasn't gonna happen. Pulling my leg up into him, his eyes widened and he dropped to the floor. Rolling over I sat crisscross on his chest and stuck my tongue out at him, "That's what you get." I said.

Getting up off of him I walked back over to the table and began eating my food again. Marco patted my back and I shot him an appreciative look since he didn't eat my food. "You seem to be in a pretty good mood today." Marco stated. The entire commander table looked relatively impressed at my skills before they went back to eating as well.

I shrugged, "I guess you could say I'm over… this… sorta."

"Really now?"

"Listen, I'm trying to be nice here now can I get back to my meal?"

Marco once again patted my head, "Down girl."

Eventually Ace joined us back at the table then sat there brooding. He would reach over for some of my food occasionally but I'd stab the back of his hand to make him retreat. Just as I was about to finish my meal a cannon ball ripped through the galley and took my plate along with the entire table. The entire galley fell silent as everyone either looked at one cannon ball hole or the other. Then as if everyone suddenly got it there was a mad scramble out onto the deck.

Either Ace forgot about me or we got separated because I came out on deck next to Kellin who snatched me away from falling overboard. He held me to his chest and I could hear his frantic heartbeat matching my own, that could have been very bad. Separating I sent him a shy nod of thanks before we turned back to the scene.

Marine ships surrounded ours and all had their cannons aimed and set. Whitebeard was already on his feet while all of the commanders were at the front of the pack. They seemed to be barking out orders as people mobilized into their divisions. Kellin grabbed my hand and we began to make our way over to where Ace was. I eyed the Marine fleets warily, why weren't they filling the ship with holes yet?

"Kellin you're with team B. Sam you're going in with me on the skiff, stay sharp and stay close, understood?" Ace barked. Kellin replied and I just rolled my eyes but none the less nodded, stupid rank. Ace pulled me to him but I got out his grip. He looked like he wanted to say something but the mission at hand was more important. We set off in his skiff, Ace in back and I crouched down in front, holding on for dear life.

It seemed that the Marines woke up because they began to shoot cannonballs at us, "Hold on Sam!" Ace ordered as he began to swerve the skiff left and right to avoid the projectiles hurtling at us.

"Oh yes because I was _so _gonna go take a dive in the East Blue right now!" I replied back.

"Speaking of East Blue I saw Kellin getting a little touchy feely."

"Are we really gonna do this now?"

"Well this seems to be the only time you talk to me without plotting my death!"

"Hey! I thought that we were starting over? Now shut up because we're here!"

I sprang up onto the ship and thusly onto a marine. The man let out a squeal of surprise as we both went down on the deck. I ripped his neck open and then drained his body of all of its blood; he died instantly. Hardening it into a shield I wrapped it around myself as the idiots began to fire at me. Hearing screams I quickly rolled away and liquidized the shield. Turning back around with a blood whip I saw Ace fighting off several marines.

Hearing the click of a gun, I jumped out of the way in time and whipped around. Using the blood whip I severed the man's top half from his lower. Hardening the blood into a sword I turned around and began to dodge all of the bullets coming toward me. Deflecting another one I leapt into the middle of a group of marines before they all had holes where their hearts once resided. Blood sprayed everywhere but I was sure to keep my mouth closed this time, there was no way that I was having an attack in the middle of the battle.

Quickly gathering all of the blood that had spilled on the deck up I hardened them into huge spikes before raising them high in the air and sending them sailing back down to spear the ship. Marines left and right screamed out but Ace and I were already leaping for the skiff that had once again surfaced.

Creating a blood shield we were on our way to the next ship without worry about the fire. Another throb raced through my arm and I faltered for but a single moment. In that moment a stray bullet hit me in the arm. I grit my teeth and refrained from crying out. Luckily for me it seemed that Ace was too preoccupied with steering the skiff that he didn't noticed my newly acquired injury. Regaining my previous posture I used my power to quickly scab up the thing. Taking a steeling breath I collected my wits before we were on to the next ship.

Ace tiredly began to steer us back toward the Moby Dick. The battle had lasted longer than anyone expected and all of us were wiped. Never had I fought through so many marines at a single time. Tying off the skiff Ace climbed up before me. I reached up with my injured shoulder and had to keep myself from wincing at the sharp stabbing pain.

Luckily Ace grabbed hold of my good arm and hoisted me up. However as soon as he sat me down, Ace noticed the way my shoulder was. Gripping it slightly hard he began to inspect it. Turning around he reached out and grabbed a nurse. Dragging her over to where we were he then let her go, "She's acquired a deep injury." Ace said rather angrily.

I stopped the nurse when she went to touch me, "Seriously its fine, it's already scabbed up. All I need are some drugs for the pain."

"No, you need stitches for that! If that opens up it could get infected or you could bleed out." Ace retorted.

"Why would I reopen this wound Ace? That's completely stupid, I don't need stitches."

"Yes, you do. Stitch her up."

"No, don't stitch me up."

"Nurse, stitch her up."

"Nurse, don't touch me."

The poor nurse looked between us, unsure of whom to listen to. However it seemed that she made her decision, "Commander Ace, please hold her still for me."

"NO! There is no way that you're freaking stitching me up!"

"Now Sam, come on and just let the kind nurse help you." Ace said as he began to walk toward me.

"No way! You both can go fuck yourselves!"

"Nope, now hold still."

"Don't touch me!"

Ace grabbed hold of my arms while the nurse began to ready her needle and thread. I was snarling, struggling, and kicking everywhere. Ace briefly called for Thatch who helped him out. "Marco help me, please!" I cried out. He only looked at me sympathetically and shook his head. I narrowed my eyes, "You are so on my black list now."

"Now come on Sam, this is for your own good." Ace muttered as the nurse peeled off the scab. I howled in pain while struggling some more as she then stabbed a syringe into my thigh. Ace and Thatch held tight while the nurse swiftly sewed up my arm with practiced ease. Afterwards she had me pop some pain pills then wrapped the injury up. Getting away from her I glared as she quickly hurried off.

Wriggling out of Ace and Thatch's hold finally I gave them glares as well before stalking off. Sitting down by the side railing of the ship I rested my head back before someone sat beside me. Looking over I saw Kellin who was smiling gently and holding out an icepack. Taking it I hissed when it came into contact with the bandages. "Thanks." I muttered.

"You looked like you could use it, nice fighting by the way." He said before putting his own ice bag on his forehead. It was wrapped in white gauze and a little blood was still splashed on the back of his eyelids.

"Yeah I guess you could say that. I swear though that I didn't need stitches, stupid Ace and his worrisome ways." I saw Kellin open his eyes and turn his head to look at me after my statement. "Yes?" I inquired.

"Are you and the commander a thing?"

"In his mind yes but in all sense of the word no, we're… well we're not exactly friends but we're acquaintances."

"Oh… that… really makes no sense at all."

"Look at it like this, Ace and I am married by law but we're not together."

"Oh!"

"Kellin go and see if Pops needs anything." Ace barked at him.

Kellin sighed as he gently squeezed my arm before getting up and leaving. Ace was beginning to come over to me but I was already on my feet and walking away. He still looked mad and I was sure that it was over not telling him about my injuries.

Weaving through the crowds I bumped into Izo, who took one look before looping an arm over my shoulders and steering me away from Ace. "You could use some time away from him." She stated. I nodded and smiled gratefully as she brought me over to her division. There I saw the girl from dinner the other night, the one who had ignored me. Some recognition must've sparked in my eyes because Izo chuckled, "That is Magenta, don't mind her, she's had her eyes on Ace ever since joining the Whitebeard Pirates. He saved her and she had been following him like a puppy ever since."

I looked at Magenta and felt something I hadn't in a long time, jealousy. In all reality I shouldn't be jealous since I wasn't with Ace but for some reason just hearing that she was after him made me mad. Shrugging it off I followed Izo as she introduced me to a girl with dark blue hair and electric yellow eyes. She looked almost like a child with how large her eyes actually were. "This here is Valerie Calcifer, she is a lot like you so it seems like she'll be a suitable companion for the moment." Izo said.

She pushed me toward the girl and then walked off to bark orders once more. I turned to the girl and gave her a nervous smile. Luckily, Valerie returned it, "Hi there." She remarked while holding out a hand. I grasped it and then heard Ace calling my name. Scowling Valerie smiled before tugging me along with her. We got to a relatively secluded place and then both leaned against the railing.

"So I heard that you're Ace's wife." Val began.

I shrugged, "Only in the sense of sharing his name."

"Sometimes sharing even a name can be dangerous."

"Yeah, so you're under Izo's command?"

"Yup, she's really cool."

"So what's your story?"

"Huh?"

"I mean everyone knows why I ended up joining the Whitebeard Pirates, what about you, why did you join him?"

Valerie fell silent for a moment as she began to think, "Well… I came from a small village that was constantly terrorized. Pops put protection over our island and they offered me up as a thank-you gift. Pops was gonna refuse my village but they threatened to kill me if he didn't. Not wanting my blood on his hands he took me into the crew, not that I minded though."

"That's… horrible."

Valerie shrugged, "Yeah I guess so but that's just the way life goes, I'm happier with Pops anyways."

A few yells of surprise were heard over the roar of fire, "Sam get your scrawny ass over here now!" Ace snarled from the front of the deck. I rolled my eyes but bade Valerie a farewell before casually sauntering up. Ace then grabbed my arm, "Come on." He said as he drug me towards pops.

We came to a stop in front of the huge man who looked relatively pleased, "Hello there my children! Sam, how was your first battle with the Whitebeard pirates?"

I shrugged, "It was alright I guess. Easier to fight with a crew."

"I see, I also hear that you kept the fact that you were injured from your commander."

"The injury itself was a small wound compared to the ones he used to give me when we were children. This is nothing and are we going to be docking at an island any time soon?"

"We will be headed to wherever the log pose is taking us however the maps just have it as an unnamed island that we're sailing for. It's right in between Sapphire and Diamond Island."

My face paled, we were headed straight for Ruby Island… We were headed back to everything that I ran away from. Shit. Whitebeard asked a few more questions before nodding to Ace to take me back to the room. Ace picked me up and for once I didn't fight him, my mind was on Ruby Island. It had been so long since I had been home and I thought that the next time I went back would be to set the head of Teague on the head pedestal of my mother's grave.

Ace opened the door and set me into the hammock before just standing there awkwardly. Rolling my eyes I tossed him a blanket and pillow once more. He looked at me a bit confused so I figured I'd elaborate for him, "Sleep, you look like you haven't in weeks." I said as I yawned. Whatever they injected into my leg was finally taking hold.

Snuggling down into my covers I felt into sleep with the sound of Ace snoring below me on the floor. That night we skipped dinner and I had dreams of Ruby Island and my life before a certain someone brought me to Dawn Island.


	7. Chapter 7

Waking up in the morning to Ace shaking me I groaned and attempted to push his hands off of me. "No Sam, no rolling over and going back to sleep, we have to get up and going. Sometime in the night we docked on the island and pops wants Marco, Thatch, Kellin, Magenta, Izo, you, and I to go and check it out." He said.

Sitting up I looked at him, why weren't we all just searching the island at our own digression? Also, where were we even docked at again? Yawning once more I got up and then walked over to the bathroom but stopped when I realized that I'd have to get dressed in that awful bikini top and shorts again. Sparing a single glare at Ace I walked into the bathroom and began to get my 'clothes' on.

Making it out of the bathroom I walked out to find Ace missing. Looking around for a moment I shrugged, perhaps he went on ahead, it didn't matter to me if he did or not. Suddenly warm hands wrapped themselves around my waist and I screeched in surprise before aiming an elbow backward. However before my attack connected to my attacker, my elbow was caught, "Do you always have to attack first?"

Glaring back at Ace I snorted before wriggling out of his grasp, "I thought you went ahead you idiot!"

"Why would I go ahead?"

"I don't know, you tell me."

"Well come on then. The sooner we eat breakfast the sooner we leave."

We exited the room and began walking to the galley, "By the way, what island are we docked on?"

Ace shrugged his shoulders, "Dunno, Pops said that it was unnamed which was weird since we're near Sapphire and Diamond Island." I just froze right outside of the galley, everything was coming back to me… we were in Ruby Island. "Sam?"

"I'm not going on the island."

"Why the hell not? You can't just disobey an order from Pops."

"I'm not going on that fucking island."

I went to brush past him when an arm came out and caught me to bring me back, "Sam what the hell is going on with you? While I don't want to have to order you around I will if I need to because you're going on that island whether you like it or not."

"You don't know…"

"I don't know what?"

"You don't know anything about this island like I do. It will chew you up and spit you out and just when you think that everything is alright and you'll be able to leave all of the sadness behind you're drug back into it again." I whispered.

"Samantha you're not making sense and you're beginning to worry me. However you're still going."

"Fine then, have it your fucking way."

I pushed away from him and then made my way into the galley. Sitting down next to Kellin he smiled and hugged me to his side and uttering a greeting before letting me go. Hearing a growl from Ace I simply kept my eyes on the food that had been piled onto my plate. "Sam come sit with me." Ace said.

"Fuck off, I really just want to sit here for now. Besides we're going to be spending the entire day... exploring this island."

"Sam-"

"Commander if you're worried about her then don't worry I'll take good care of her while you're eating at the leader table. I promise." Kellin piped up.

Ace took a moment before snorting, "Fine but once breakfast is done meet on the deck immediately."

Ace walked off and I smiled appreciatively at Kellin who merely pushed an apple toward me, "You need to eat." Was his explanation. I looked down at the food with disgust, I really wasn't all that hungry but I knew from today that I would need something on my knotted stomach.

Biting into the apple I made sure to eat as slowly as possible. I would take long sips of my drink in an attempt to keep from finishing and having to report to Whitebeard. Ruby Island… there were so many memories here and not many of them were happy ones. For so long I had tried to get rid of everything that had happened here and focus on hunting Teague down.

A nudge to my shoulder catapulted me out of my thoughts. I looked over and saw that Kellin was watching me with an eyebrow quirked. Shaking my head I took the last bite of my apple before tossing it down onto the somehow empty plate. Draining the rest of my drink I noticed that Kellin was finished as well. He smiled and offered out his hand to help me up.

Taking it we began to make our way toward where Whitebeard was up on the top of the deck. We got out onto the deck and I once again was facing my old home… oh the bitter resentment bubbling up in my stomach wanted to make me puke my lovely apple breakfast all over the deck once more. There was also a dark feeling in my gut… something was wrong…

An arm was slid over my shoulder and I was pulled into Kellin's side, "Hey, are you sure that you're alright? If you want I could tell the commander that you don't feel good and find someone else-"

"Kellin she's fine." Ace interrupted as he and Izo showed up. Magenta was trailing behind him with a dopey look on her face.

"But Commander she looks pale as a ghost."

"Trust me when I say she's been through much worse."

Just as Kellin was about to reply once more, Thatch and Marco showed up. The subordinate shut his mouth but looked like he was ready to fight this battle. Poking him in the side he looked down at me as I shook my head. He growled but none the less just stood back with his arms crossed.

Everyone just stared at him for a moment before shrugging and looking back toward Pops. He gave us a quick rundown and then sent us off. Izo, Kellin, and Magenta were taking a boat while Ace put me down into his skiff. Marco and Thatch were taking their own skiffs as well.

Heading out I was sitting with my knees drawn up into my chest. I stared at the island ahead with dread sitting in my stomach like a boulder. It was easy enough to tell that Ace wanted to know why I didn't want to go on the island but I wasn't in the mood for story time. Closing my eyes to protect them from whipping tendrils of red hair I waited for us to get to shore.

It was almost as if something in me knew that we were getting closer and closer to the shore. There was a miniscule tug in my gut that seemed to get stronger the farther away we got from the Moby Dick.

Hitting the shore was almost as painful as pulling off a nail. The actual docking was pretty steady and soft but the pressure that suddenly encased me was another story. All at once I felt that the air was driven from my lungs. Putting a hand to my chest I focused on nothing else but breathing at the moment. Within a few seconds I was able to breathe normally. Opening my eyes I saw Ace just staring at me.

Shrugging my shoulders I slowly inched off of the skiff and flinched when my foot hit the soft sand. I stood there for a moment just looking at my foot while everyone either went on ahead, or in Ace and Kellin's case, were waiting on me. "Sam the hell is wrong with you?" Ace asked with fraying patience.

"Shut up, I don't even want to be here okay?"

"Why?" Kellin asked gently.

"That's my business."

"Come on then."

"Ace just go on ahead, I'll catch up."

"Nope, now come on."

Glaring at him I slid off the skiff the rest of the way. Taking a moment to steel myself I brushed past both of them and began to trail Izo and the others. Keeping a measured distance from both the males behind me I kept my eyes darting to around the scenery.

Trees were black and charred, their branches barren of all green foliage. The stench of ashes and death hung in the thick air, making it uncomfortable to breathe. Our footsteps were the only sound that could be heard which cast an eerie feeling over the place. Even the sky above was a bland color compared to its usual cyan luster.

We emptied out into an open area where Izo and the others were waiting. I knew this place; we were about a five minute walk away from the only civilization that used to be located here. Sitting down on a rock I propped my arms on my legs and held my face in my hands, I seriously had a bad feeling about being here. Briefly I wondered about an attack here but shrugged it off, no one really came to Ruby Island when it was alive and most likely we were the only ones here.

"Is everyone ready to get going?" Thatch asked as he stood up once more.

"We should split up into groups to search faster." Izo proposed.

Kellin suddenly spoke up as he stood closer to me, "How many groups?"

"Four groups of two."

"Sweet! I call Sammy!" Kellin suddenly pulled me close to him and ushered me away before Ace or anyone else could say a thing.

We were headed toward the village. I shrugged Kellin off of my shoulders and then walked beside him. He frowned a little as I did but soon enough brightened up and continued on. It was only a few minutes before I stopped cold. Yes I had expected the village to be decrepit but it was more charred than the forest we went through to get here.\

Feeling a gentle nudge in my side I looked over to see Kellin looking at me worried, "Are you alright? Do you want to sit down or something?" There was general concern in his eyes; I found it sickening. Shaking it off I began to walk toward the town. The sooner we checked around there and got out the happier I would be.

"Whoa, this place is completely destroyed…" Kellin murmured.

"They said that a horrible crew of bastard pirates swept through this peaceful town in search of something." I murmured while trying to look indifferent.

"Huh?"

"For days they terrorized this place… yet when it was apparent that the villagers had no such thing the crew was looking for they laid waste to the village. Destroyed their buildings and either killed or enslaved the inhabitants of the island. Some were laborers, _special _slaves, and others were experiments."

"Sam?"

"It was told that years went by and the enslaved islanders began to rebel. In an attempt to get rid the problem, the pirate captain killed off every man. While the women and children were disparaged at the loss of their husbands and fathers the riots continued." I flexed my fingers dangerously while we continued to pass through the decimated settlement.

"S-Sam?"

"In a last ditch effort to quench all rebellion the captain began to kill off mothers, all that were left were children and elders. The riots stopped and the captain was preparing to sell the remaining islanders as they prepared to set sail. However it was told that-"

"SAM!"

Snapping out of my trance I looked back to see that Kellin was pinned to the ground. Looking down at my hand I quickly shut down my powers. Shakily the brunette got to his feet and looked at me, "A-are you a Devil Fruit user?"

"No-I mean what I… Yeah, I'm a Devil Fruit user…"

"O-oh, that's cool. Anyways, how do you know all of that stuff?"

I shrugged, "Well I've been almost all over the seas collecting tidbits of information and stories."

"Oh, what were you going to say earlier?"

I once again shrugged my shoulders, "I've forgotten now, c'mon we need to keep moving." Turning on my heel I began to walk and Kellin fell into step behind me.

**Ace's Pov**

There weren't too many people that Ace wanted to kill at the moment but Kellin for the time being was up there. Not only did he run off with Sam but he caused Magenta to latch onto his arm and declare that they were going to be in a group.

Since the half hour since they'd split up the girl hadn't quit yapping. If it wasn't against his nature to hit a female Whitebeard Pirate he'd have probably killed her a long time ago. A tug on his arm once more brought the Fire Fist to annoying reality. "Were you listening?" Magenta growled.

"No." Was Ace's brazen reply to her.

"Well I said that the new pirate Sam is a bitch to you, why do you put up with that?"

Ace shook his arm away from Magenta, "Listen and listen well, while Sam is a bit bitter she is making progress. She's had a lot of shit happen to her in the short twenty-some years she's been around. I don't want to hear you talking that way about her."

"Why not Ace? Don't you get it, she doesn't _want _you. She never returns your affections and all of your kind deeds toward her are returned with a slap in the face!"

"I see it as a challenge. I will get her to be mine and I'm not going to stop, not now."

"So in other words she's nothing more than a prize?"

"She and I used to be together, it wasn't like this relationship was completely one sided. It's a challenge to see if I can get that Sam back if not just a few of her characteristics. I've seen the side of her that loves and that is the side I truly fell in love with, _now drop it_."

Magenta fell silent and Ace then took point. Walking out of the dead forest he saw row upon row of tomb stones. Some of the markers were old and cracked while still some were intact enough to read the weathered letters engraved into them.

Ace browsed the first row of tomb stones. He felt sadness wash over him as he saw that nearly all of the death dates were within mere days all the way up to three years of one another. Getting to the next to last row there was a very intricate grave stone.

The grave marker itself was in a relatively okay condition. The sides had roses etched into them that had vines winding themselves down in into intricate and complicated patterns. The roses themselves looked like Ace could have plucked them from the stone. Then, inscribed was:

_**Sylvia Le Roux**_

_**1766-1794**_

_**Mother of One and Wife who will be dearly missed**_

Ace's eyes widened slightly, this was Sam's mother! Immediately he knelt down and paid a quick respect to the deceased woman before he got up, his mind racing. Was this the place where Sam was originally from or was this just a coincidence?

Looking at the sky for a moment Ace just took a deep breath. This was definitely something that he would be talking about to Sam when they returned to the ship. However now that he thought about it all of the reasons Sam was acting so glum about having to get off the ship and explore made sense. However he wondered about what happened to this place.

A sudden explosion shook the ground as the shockwave buffeted Ace and Magenta. The commander was quick enough to shield himself but Magenta wasn't. He heard her screams of pain. Once the shock wave was gone Ace whipped around to see that the pink haired girl was out cold on the ground and bleeding badly from a large piece of wood embedded in her side.

Sparing only a single moment for a curse to fly from his mouth, Ace sprang over to the girl and snatched her up. Careful not to bump the wooden shard in her side he quickly began to head toward the beach where the skiffs were docked. Behind him the sounds of a fierce battle raged on.

In all honesty Ace wanted to leave Magenta to help whoever it was that was fighting but as a commander and a Whitebeard Pirate, he had to look after his own. Leaping into the skiff he quickly took off toward the ship.

It was a few minutes until Ace pulled up next to the side of the vessel and jumped off of his skiff onto the deck. Commanders and other crew members alike stared at him until the realized that he was holding an injured crew member. Nurses rushed up and quickly relieved Ace of the girl and just as he was about to head back out he heard Pops call his name.

Gritting his teeth Ace turned back around and walked up to Pops. The man towered over him but still Ace felt no fear, only frustration at being here instead of back on the island. "What happened?" Pops questioned.

"There was a mysterious explosion. Magenta and I were caught in the shock wave but as for who is fighting I have no idea."

"Then go on."

"Alright Pops."

Ace immediately took off at a quick pace. Leaping down onto his skiff, Ace quickly started it up and across the waves he shot. His face was pulled into a tight expression as he focused on going faster over the ocean blue. Hopefully he'd get there in time.

**Sam's Pov**

Kellin was hanging onto me as a huge explosion practically shook the entire island. "Down!" I said as I tossed both of us onto the ground and shoved my hand into a hole in the side of a building. Just as Kellin was about to ask me what the hell I did that for the shock wave finally reached us.

High winds buffeted us and we both shut our eyes to avoid being blinded. Kellin was now hanging onto me for dear life and I was gripping the building so hard that blood seeped through newly formed cuts. Bits chipped off of buildings and all manner of broken debris pelted us and a few pieces of something actually lodged into my arm.

Once the shock wave subsided I immediately released Kellin and the both of us were tearing through the forests toward the blast. Many thoughts raced through my head but the most prevalent one was: Who the hell was on this island besides our group? Then of course who wanted to pick a fight with Whitebeard pirates?

Skidding to a halt once we got to the site of the initial blast I saw a huge crater. Hearing a call I looked up to see Marco in his half-Phoenix form and another man with dark hair and a pair of red, scaly dragon wings sticking out of his back. A tail with identical crimson scales was also prevalent. Marco was I guess motioning us to run but I was too transfixed on the first division commander's opponent.

I knew this man, he was Monte, first mate to Teague. What the hell was he doing here? Monte turned to see who Marco was yelling at and immediately he zeroed in on me. A grin split his face, "It's been a while hasn't it, little rat?" he called down.

"Sam, come _on_!" Kellin yelled as he grabbed my arm and began to drag me away. Hearing Monte and Kellin's words I was finally jolted back into reality. As much as I wanted to kill Monte myself I knew that Marco would probably be better suited for battle with the draconian. Besides, Teague was the one I was truly after.

Gritting my teeth I turned to run, every cell in my body was screaming _coward _at me. Rushing back into the forest, Kellin and I were once again flying through the thick vegetation. So badly I wanted to go back and kill Monte but I knew Marco wasn't going to back down from this fight and he would most likely end up hitting me instead. However since when did Monte have devil fruit powers, especially a mythical zoan power? I figured Teague would have been the one to have the powers first.

"Sam, did you know that guy back there?!" Kellin yelled out suddenly.

Another explosion happened and we hit the ground to wait out the newest shock wave. Unfortunately we didn't grab onto anything and were propelled forward with the blast. Before we could even get up a second explosion happened and we were hit with a shock wave again. I felt worry began to stab at my heart, if they kept this fighting pattern up they'd end up destroying the entire island!

"You could say so now split!" I yelled as we got back up onto our feet to begin running again.

"Wha-why?"

"Just do it Kellin! If he comes after one of us it's better that we're far away from one another!"

"No way, you're crazy if you think that I'm going to be leaving you to face a mythical zoan fruit user!"

"I'm not going to give you a choice anymore!" Throwing out my hand I used my powers to make Kellin take to the right as I went the opposite way of him.

"Sam!" He screeched as he attempted to gain control of his body once more.

I kept my hand controlling him until I got past sixty feet. However this was a far enough lead for me. Taking advantage of my lead I shot off to the right once more and began to create a zig-zag pattern. The crunching of undergrowth and the sounds of Marco shouting was enough for me to realize that Monte was on my trail now.

My arm throbbed a bit and I grabbed onto the bandages tightly, I so did not need this right now. Keeping my eyes half-way between the ground and ahead of me I was able to make sure I didn't trip nor run into anything. Quickly coming out into another open area I attempted to head for the tall grass that was just to my right. If I could manage to hide in there then there was a chance that I could 'lose' him and then attack from behind.

Diving into the grass I gasped a bit as the serrated edges caught all of my exposed skin and ripped new slices into me. The cuts were shallow and some didn't even bleed but boy did it sting. Gasping a bit I quickly clamped my hand down over my mouth to avoid him directly finding me.

Hearing a growl I could tell that he'd lost sight of me. I kept my eyes to the sky and prayed that he would just continue on and give me the chance I was so desperately waiting for. For a moment slowly, ever so slowly I heard him begin to flap his wings. As he got a high aerial view of the terrain I just hoped that I was disguised enough that he wouldn't see me.

For a moment it seemed to work, until he opened his mouth. Huge fireballs shot toward the area and I was forced to either give away my hiding spot and move or be incinerated. Jumping into the open area, Monte grinned as he came a bit closer to me, "Hello there little rat, I can't wait to repay you for half-way blinding me."

"Heh, I look forward to you trying." I took a good look at the man to see that time was beginning to age him. A few strands of gray riddled his hair and there were deeper lines in his face. He was a bit scratched up and there was an especially bloody wound by his empty right eye socket which made me smile proudly at the damage Marco had managed to inflict.

The slightly aged man came closer yet again, "Yes, I look forward as well!" He sent a huge gust of air at me.

The air smacked into me and sent my body flying into a tree. Blood seeped from my mouth onto the ground as I felt my right arm snap. Pain flared up but I wasn't focused on that now, all that mattered was the bastard in front of me. He was now on the ground and looked ready for a fight.

Taking a deep breath I summoned up my powers and used the blood from my right arm and what was seeping from my mouth to create a sword. Steadying myself I looked at Monte, and then we took off into a battle.

Monte countered my sword strike and sent a claw-tipped hand toward my neck. I managed to dodge that and send a foot toward his face. He opened his mouth and snapped razor sharp teeth down on my ankle. A miniscule shriek exited my mouth as he twisted and began to shake his head like a dog.

Taking advantage of his weakened posture I reformed my sword to dual blades and stabbed them into his legs. He let go of my ankle and I quickly got out of his immediate vicinity. We both eyed each other for a moment before clashing again.

He took another swipe at my head while I ducked and sliced at his legs. He aimed a kick at me so I skirted around him only to be smashed into by his tail. I hit the ground on my bad arm and felt another snap, _dammit all!_ Quickly sliding between his legs and using my single arm now I grabbed onto his tail and flipped onto his back.

Using my own blood I took a dangerous amount and began to puncture holes in his tough wings. Monte squealed in pain and attempted to reach behind him to grab me off of him but his wings got in the way of that. I was beginning to feel a bit light headed but there was no way that I was going to be fleeing now.

However Monte suddenly tossed us onto the ground. He crushed me beneath his weight and drove the air from my body. Rolling off of me he then began to completely transform. His figure got larger as his featured were becoming more dragon-like. Soon enough he was about the height of thirteen feet and was in complete dragon form. I grit my teeth as I looked up at him. _Well this is going to be fun…_

Monte sent a barrage of fire down toward me as I dove forward toward his legs once more. However he anticipated this and swatted me away before trapping me down with a huge hand-err- claw-tipped paw. He grinned down maliciously before opening his mouth, fire beginning to creep up his throat once more.

Struggling I began to stab at his paws rapidly, hoping to find a weak point. Finally just as the fire was about to hit me, it was countered by a very familiar person as I stabbed in between Monte's toes. He screamed and immediately I was able to wriggle free. Ace snatched me up and we got a safe distance away from the beast.

"Go and run." He ordered.

"No way am I running away from a fight I started."

"Sam this is no time to protest!"

"Listen to me Ace, that beast over there isn't something you can defeat on your own! Even Marco with his zoan abilities had problems! Besides he's after me anyways so if I run he'll follow me."

"I don't care, I can hold him off for a bit."

"You idiot, why don't we just work together on this?"

Ace spared me a glance before thinking it over, "I don't like the idea… but I think we might just have to give it a try."

I grinned wickedly, "Alright then, I'll be the distraction, now look alive because here he comes!"

I shot toward Monte as Ace yelled something behind me. Monte was looking at me as I slid toward him. He moved his paw to smash me but I skirted around that. Ace suddenly appeared and smashed his boot into Monte's face. The draconian let out a roar of pain before he backpedaled.

Climbing onto Monte once more I began to go for his eyes while Ace was constantly barraging him with attacks. Then, out of nowhere Kellin hurtled forward and knocked me off of Monte, "You idiot what the hell aren't you running for?!" Kellin yelled as he pinned me down.

"Kellin get off of me now, this isn't the time!"

I tried to throw him off but he kept me pinned in the same place, "No you need to understand how dangerous not running is!"

"Kellin _please _get off of me before we-Watch out!" I screeched just as Monte's tail smacked into us.

I screamed as the spikes running along the top of the tail ripped at my stomach as Kellin and I were both hit away. "Sam!" I heard Ace yell as he let loose another flaming kick to the dragon's eyes.

Seeing that Kellin was out, I kicked him off of me and jumped onto my feet. Running toward Ace, I kept my only good arm over my new stomach wound. It hurt like hell but there was no way that only one of us could defeat Monte alone. Just as I was about to use up more blood to make another weapon, Marco and Thatch burst out of the trees and made a B-line for us.

Marco was heavily wounded as was Thatch. They had gashes all over and a lot of blood but other than that they looked like they were relatively alright. I stopped running as the three commanders took over. However I noticed that there was a bloody gash on Monte's shoulder. Holding out my good hand I clenched it into a fist, causing more blood to gush out and widen the injury.

Monte howled in pain before turning toward me however he didn't have a chance. All three commanders used their strongest attacks on him while I caused whatever bleeding cuts to elongate. Just as all of the attacks subsided and the dust was beginning to settle, I saw a human Monte in the arms of some strange woman.

The woman's hair was a dark inky black and she had amber eyes. Her figure was slim and she was dressed in a dark cat suit. With a glare at me she pointed in my direction before jumping off with Monte, leaving us all alone in this now destroyed valley.

I sat there staring at the ground, feeling a bit fuzzy headed. Suddenly someone picked me up. I looked up to see Ace there, looking at me with worried eyes. So badly I wanted to tell him to put me down but I knew that I didn't have the strength for that so I just lay my head on his chest.

"Ace, I've found Kellin." Izo announced as she finally showed up.

Ace turned to his just waking subordinate, eyes blazing. He walked us right up and over to Kellin, "What the hell did you think you were doing? You don't pin your own comrade down in the middle of a fight!"

"S-she should have run! I mean she could have been killed!"

"_You _almost _got _her killed! Now just shut up, I'll be talking to Pops about this to see what his verdict on this situation is."

"Both of you should be quiet, I have a very bad headache and it's not getting better. Ace, I'm alive and that should be good enough for you to just let this go. Kellin, I swear to every deity out there that if you ever do that again I'll kill you. Now can we go back to the ship before I die of blood loss?" I cut in.

Both males looked like they still wanted to fight but at the mention of my death from blood-loss they immediately began to hurry toward the shore to get me back to the Moby Dick. The entire time I had my head against Ace's chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat. Not once had he put me down since he'd picked me up.

When we got back to the ship Ace bypassed everyone's questions and immediately ordered for a nurse to come back to the room with us. As we got there, Ace set me down on the desk as the nurse came in to examine everything.

"Well my dear, you have broken your arm again in two places and have a lovely new collection of gashes, bruises, and scrapes. If you would help me get her to the bathroom Mr. Fire Fist, I'll get her cleaned up and bandaged before you can blink." The nurse said.

"Of course." Ace immediately took me into the bathroom.

He set me down and then looked at the nurse who shooed him out of the room. Ace scowled but did as she said. Once that was over with the nurse helped me wash and then bandaged me up before giving me some clothes to change into. After that she had me take some medicine to knock me out before the pain set in.

**Ace's Pov**

Never in his life had Ace been more impatient. So much blood, Sam had been covered in so much blood and just remembering seeing her pinned beneath the zoan was enough to make him want to don his flames.

The bathroom door opened and immediately Ace was at the door looking at the nurse expectantly. The small woman put a delicate finger to her lips to signify the need to be quiet. Ace nodded before going into the bathroom and gingerly picking up his red haired maiden. She was sleeping peacefully which made his heart flutter slightly.

Setting her down into the hammock he stepped outside of the room with the small nurse for further instructions. Once he quietly shut the door he turned to look at the small woman in front of him. "Alright Mr. Ace, what you need to do is keep her warm and when she wakes up get her some food and drink. No alcohol for her for at least a week and make sure that she isn't too stressed out. Also be careful of that broken arm of hers because if that sets wrong it will be permanently damaged."

"Alright thank you so much."

"It is no problem Mr. Ace, after all helping people is my job."

"Still, thank you so much for taking time to do this, you have helped me in many ways."

"Well, good night to you Mr. Ace, I hope you sleep well."

The nurse began to walk away and Ace slid back into his room. Walking over to the hammock, Ace got in behind Sam and had her resting on her back against him. He put his arms around her but was careful of her injured one. Shutting his eyes he allowed himself to start to go to sleep, he would ask Sam about Ruby Island later on.


	8. Chapter 8

_The first thing I registered was that I was in a field. However it wasn't just any field, it was the most beautiful flowering field on Ruby Island. Hearing laughter I looked over to see my mother twirling a younger version of me around. They were both laughing before they rolled onto the ground. Their red hair splayed out everywhere and their white dresses crumpled slightly._

_However the young Sam looked over at our mother, "Mommy?" She asked with innocent, sparkling blue eyes that only a child could possess._

"_Yes darling?"_

"_Will daddy ever come back home?"_

_Sylvia sighed as she sat up and looked at her daughter before pasting on what she hoped was a convincing smile, her daughter didn't need to know yet. "Of course darling, I'm sure that he'll show up any day now." _

_Without further ado she picked young Sam up and proceeded to tickle the bouncing five year old who began giggling like mad. _

_The time had elapsed to where I was about six and just a few months after Teague showed up. The village was in flames and everyone was running around screaming. "Mommy!" My younger self screamed out. She showed fear in her eyes while dodging in and around the crowd of frightened people. _

"_Sam! Sam! Samantha where are you?!" Sylvia screamed as she was looking everywhere for her precious daughter. _

_The younger Sam kept running in hopes that she would find her precious mother however when she turned the corner the girl smacked into Teague. "Well hello there little rat." He grinned down at her. I turned my head away because I already knew what was going to happen next. Screams rang out into the air and tears dribbled down my face._

"_Samantha, no!" Sylvia screeched. _

_I turned back for a moment to see that Teague had already taken his cutlass out just in time to cut down my mother when she went to attack the pirate. Young Sam screamed in terror as her own mother's blood was splashed upon her while those once innocent eyes trailed over her mother's corpse._

"_Whoops, seems my sword has slipped. Now come along little rat, I have something planned for you." Teague grabbed up the shocked little girl and began to haul her away to the other enslaved villagers._

_Once again the scene changed right to the end of my own personal hell on earth. Teague came sauntering up to my younger's cage as she did her best to scrabble away from him. Opening the cage he grinned while dragging her out, "Come on then little rat, show me how much you've learned to control your powers, I swear that I won't hurt you this time." He said._

_Shaking his hand off younger Sam looked at him to see that he was patiently waiting. I remembered that she didn't want to show him her powers but at the same time didn't want to risk his anger. Tears fell down her scratched up face as she held her hand up toward one of the villagers set up to be a target. They were pleading with her not to but it wasn't as if she had all that much of a choice._

_Teague nodded his head once the demonstration was over. Then, just as he was picking her up there was a sword at his throat, "Drop my daughter." A very familiar voice said. Younger Sam could almost cry with relief… but then again she felt anger too. Where the hell was he when she and her mother really needed him?_

Nearly screaming, I woke up to feeling a warm arm draped over my waist. Looking up I saw the sleeping freckled face of Ace. His mouth was slightly open and he still shored every once in a while. Instead of starting a battle with him I just slid out of the hammock, I was too tired to battle at the moment. Wiping the tears from my eyes I then collected myself.

Stretching out I then changed into my regular clothes before heading out of the room and toward the kitchen. Pushing my way through I was immediately swept into a gentle hug by Mercedes, "Oh my sweet girl are you alright? Here, come sit and have a little something." she steered me over to the table where she sat me down with a plate of cookies and some milk.

"Thanks." I sincerely said as I picked up a still warm chocolate chip cookie and bit into it. The semi-hot chocolate spilled into my mouth and tasted utterly delicious.

"You poor thing, you look like you could still use a few more hours of sleep."

"How could I sleep with Ace's snoring? I'm surprised the entire ship isn't up yet."

"Yes that boy sure can snore. Speaking of Ace, how are the two of you getting along?" Mercedes went back to wiping down the dishes and just started to prepare what I guessed was dinner.

I smiled slightly, "I guess you could say we're getting along better than before, but he's still an idiot."

The older woman chuckled at me, "Yes, men often are but we still love them."

"Whoa now, I never said that what I felt toward Ace was love!"

"Yes but I can tell that somewhere in you is still the woman who has fallen deep for him, it's written all over your face."

"N-no its not, you lie!"

Mercedes turned around and fixed me with an all-knowing gaze, "You and I both know that I'm not the one lying in this conversation." She mused.

Rolling my eyes I shoved a cookie into my mouth and then drained the rest of my milk. Quickly standing up I uttered a good-bye and began to head for the door. Making out into the hallway I turned to the left and smacked into something hard. Screeching slightly as my bad arm was bumped arms quickly grabbed me up to save me from hitting the floor. Opening my eyes I saw Marco, "Oops, are you alright?" He asked.

I nodded my head, "Yeah I'm good, you?"

"Yup, seems like you took quite a beating though." He let me go and we began to walk up to the deck.

"Oh yeah, well you don't exactly look unscathed either." Eying Marco I saw the numerous bandages that covered his body and the bruises that were blotched all over his arms and legs.

He grinned a bit, "Yeah but at least I have use of both arms."

"Oh yeah well I… uh… dammit you just had to go there!"

Marco laughed as I pouted at him. Rolling my eyes I then walked out on to the deck. Rays of sun shone down on us brilliantly while the gentle wind caressed my hair. People were busy working on the deck and I quickly gravitated toward the railing of the boat.

Leaning against the wood I immediately found myself look at Ruby Island. All at once the good mood I was in deteriorated, replaced with a scowl. As much as I missed being able to visit my mother's grave I hated this island. If I had one wish it was that my mother never met my father on this island. Why couldn't it have been on any other island?

Feeling my arm throb painfully I gently ran my hand over the cast, deep in thought. In truth it was quite unsettling to see Monte on Ruby Island as well. I thought that after Teague saw me on Dawn Island he would understand that I wasn't going to be around this island anymore but now that Monte had seen me… well… who knew what would happen. Teague was always unpredictable and probably always would be.

Then of course what if when Monte reported back to him about everyone that Teague realized I was with the Whitebeard Pirates now? He could easily find me and then there would be an all-out war between Teague and Whitebeard. Biting my lip slightly I kept staring straight ahead at Ruby Island.

Unfortunately I was snapped out of my daze when Marco tapped on my shoulder. Looking up at him with a raised eyebrow he motioned with his head toward Ace who was worriedly coming toward me. _Oh boy, here we go…_

"Sam, are you alright? You haven't had any alcohol have you?" Ace asked as soon as he got up to me.

I shook my head, "No I haven't had any alcohol and yes I'm fine. Why the hell did you ask about the alcohol?"

"The nurse told me to keep you warm and when you wake up get you some food and drink. You can't have alcohol for at least a week and you can't be too stressed out. Also be careful of that broken arm of because if that sets wrong it will be permanently damaged." He recited.

"Ugh, great what the hell am I supposed to drink then?"

"There's water, milk, and tea."

"Ace really, can't I just have a sip or two-"

"No!"

"Geez calm down."

"Sam I'm serious about this, not only for obvious reasons but I take care of my own and you're technically one of my subordinates."

"Fine, whatever."

Turning away from Ace I still just stood there staring the island. Faintly I registered Marco and Ace talking quietly, why couldn't they just go away? "Sam." Upon hearing Ace call my name I looked over to him. His face was slightly serious which worried me a bit, since when was this idiot ever serious?

Opening my mouth to ask what he wanted, Ace cut me off with a motion of his head toward a more secluded spot on deck. Perking an eyebrow I none the less followed him past Marco and to the designated spot. He took us back to the most secluded spot still out on the deck. Here the noise from the boisterous deck was slightly muffled.

Sitting down Ace motioned for me to do the same. Perching up on an empty barrel I waited for Ace to say whatever it was that he was going to. "So on Ruby Island I found a few interesting things." He began. I stiffened almost imperceptibly, hopefully he didn't go where I thought he had.

"Like what?" I kept my voice as steady as possible.

"A grave… It had a woman's name on there and she had your last name."

For once I was at a loss for words, how could I really lie about that?

"Sammy… what I guess I'm trying to get at is… are you from here?"

Getting up onto my feet I immediately ran from Ace, there was no way that I was going down this conversational road today. "Sam!" he yelled in the distance as he managed to get onto his feet. Hooking a left I made it down into the kitchen. Bursting in there Mercedes and a few other cooks looked at me surprised.

"Please hide me!" I said while trying to calm down.

"This way." Mercedes immediately said.

Following her, she took me to the pantry and moved a heavy sack of potatoes. Sliding in there I nodded to her before she put the potatoes back and shut the door. I squeezed my eyes shut and hoped that I would be able to get away. A few minutes passed when I heard Mercedes yelling at Ace to get out of the kitchen. There was a bit of a back and forth conversation but soon it went quiet again.

I wasn't sure how much time had elapsed but soon enough Mercedes came and got me out. Hugging her she soothingly rubbed her hand on my back while I tried not to cry. Lying there in the dark just made me think about the dreams/memories from earlier. It always seemed that Ace asked the worst questions at the worst possible times.

She led me back out into the kitchen and then got some food for me. Of course there wasn't any alcohol for me to swig but I choked the water down instead as I devoured her delicious meal. Finishing up I just looked down at my plate, "Come on dear, we need to get you back to bed. The more you rest, the quicker you'll recover."

Nodding at the woman, I let her get me up and guide me back to the room. She lay me down in the hammock and then shut the door behind her. Staring at the ceiling I tried to just fall into a dreamless sleep.

**Ace's Pov**

"So what is there to report?" Whitebeard asked as the commanders and extras who had explored showed up.

Ace looked around but saw neither hide nor hair of Sam. Dinner sat in his gut like a rock as he thought about the way she'd acted earlier. Never had he really seen her run away like that. Usually she would get defensive or try and change the topic to something else but never had she ever run before.

A nudge in his side alerted him to Thatch wanting his attention, "Dude, where is Sam?" he asked. Ace shrugged as he wondered that himself. Before coming to give a report to Pops he'd scoured the entire ship for any sign of her but there wasn't any. He'd almost forgotten that if Sam didn't want to be found that she wouldn't be.

"Pops, I have… a bit of a disturbing find that I'd like to report first." Kellin stated.

Ace looked over at his subordinate and still felt a running streak of anger at him. He was lucky that Sam hadn't died or else Kellin would be responsible for her death and therefore killed in retaliation.

"Go on." Pops prompted.

"As many of you here know, Sam was less than enthused to be going to that island and I think I know why. I'm pretty sure that this is where Sam is from. When we were walking through apparently the only destroyed village there she began to tell me a tale of how this island came to ruin. Also I think I should point out that she's also a devil fruit user. She got so worked up that she inadvertently wrenched control from my body before realizing what she was doing."

"I see, Ace surely you know where she came from?"

"You see Pops, I think Kellin is correct. Sam came to Dawn Island when she was roughly about seven or eight. It was a few months or so after she arrived that a strange pirate crew held us all hostages and he seemed to know Sam. That was the first time she'd ever displayed her devil fruit abilities and I myself helped her develop them. However when I was also on this island I found a graveyard and on one of the markers was the name Sylvia Le Roux, Sam's mother."

"Are you saying she's the daughter of?"

"Yes, at the time I didn't think about it but yes she is."

"I understand, is there anything else to report?"

Everyone else gave their reports quickly but Ace wasn't listening. He was too busy fitting all of the pieces together about Sam's life before he met her. He now knew that she was from this island here and those diary entries made him wonder if she had previously been enslaved by this man named Teague.

Pops dismissed everyone and Ace was one of the first out of the door. Usually he would stay to talk a bit with Pops but right now he had too much on his mind to sort out. Walking to the deck he just sat down and stared at the sky for a bit.

However his alone time was disturbed when Pops was there, "What's on your mind my son? I can tell that something is bothering you."

"It's just… Sam."

"Ah, women are complex creatures. The one you've picked more so than the entire lot."

"There's apparently so much that I don't know about her and it frustrates me that she won't open up to me! I've been there for her for so long yet it's almost as if she still doesn't trust me."

"My son, from what I have gathered she has had a very hard life which would make it tough to truly trust someone without suspecting anterior motives. It may take a long time for her to share anything with you but the most important thing to keep in mind is not to push her. The harder you prod the more you will cause her to retract away from everyone."

"Still what if what she's keeping from us is vital to the well-being of the crew? Also what if she needs help with something but she's not telling us? I need to know what is going on with her!"

"Be patient! While you are one of my best nakama you still lack patience! A woman is not like a horse you can simply prod into doing what you want! They are like delicate roses that need to be handled with care! One wrong move and they could completely fall apart at the seams."

Ace sat there for a moment allowing the information to sink in, "I-I think I understand, thank you."

Whitebeard nodded his head and Ace was once again off. As much as he wanted to drill Sam for answers he knew that it would be a very bad idea to try now. Perhaps he could get her to tell him without him having to drag it out of her. However first he'd need to find her.

Figuring that she'd return to their room soon enough he headed there himself. Opening the door he noticed that Sam was already in the hammock. Padding over there he looked at the way she was lying on her side and still just had flashbacks of earlier when she ran from him as if he were the plague.

Sighing he climbed in beside her to just fall asleep. He wanted nothing more than to ask her but she was asleep and her recovery was what was most needed now. Snuggling down into her hair he realized one important thing though, her breathing wasn't even.

"Sam, are you still awake?" He whispered.

"Do you really want to know the entire story?"

"Wh-what?"

"Tell me Ace, do you want to know the entire story, because I'm just out of my mind enough to tell you."

"You don't have to-"

She turned around to face him, "Just answer the question idiot!"

"Yes alright I do want to know the fucking story!" He snapped back.

She seemed to quiet down a little after that, "Alright then… I guess I start from the beginning…"

"That would be nice."

"A long time ago my mother met my father on Ruby Island. They fell in love and I'm pretty sure you know what happened after that. However when I was about a year or two old my father said that he couldn't stick around in one place for too long anymore. He told my mother that he loved us and that one day he would come back for us."

Ace nodded as he listened tentatively, he couldn't believe that she was opening up to him this easily but he wasn't going to knock it.

"Anyways… for a while my mother raised me by herself on that cursed island. Back then though it was a wonderful place that was full of light and happiness. It was a fairly safe island where no one locked their doors or even had a weapon really lying about. Perhaps that was our downfall because… when Teague and his… his bastard crew came they-they…" Her voice cut out as she swallowed down tears.

Ace brought her into a hug and was rubbing her back while murmuring sweet nothings into her ear. He hated to see her so sad and upset but he needed to know more about her. However she could take all the time she needed to in order to collect herself.

"H-he enslaved us all and… and he…"

A sudden thought came to Ace, "He didn't… you know do _that _to you right?"

She shook her head slightly, "N-no, he said I wasn't his type."

"And the other crewmembers?"

"Attempted but n-never sucessf-ful."

Hugging her tighter to him he felt so angry that he could burn the entire world to the ground.

"A-anyways he put me into the experimental g-group. Th-that was where he forced me to eat the d-devil fruit. I-I was made to kill so m-mm-many of my closest friends… I just… I'm a monster for having to do that! I should have just killed myself…"

He looked her straight in the eyes, "Don't say that! No matter what don't do that! Don't you realize that there are still many people who love you and would be sad to see you die? If I ever hear you say that again then it's not going to go down well."

"But-"

"No."

"Whatever… long story short I was the only survivor and Shank's crew got me out of there and we were on our way to Dawn Island."

"Sam… I'm so sorry. I never knew all of that before."

"Well… now you do. Just don't expect me to repeat that for anyone else."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Just as Sam was going to turn over again, Ace turned her to face him before placing his lips on hers in a sweet kiss. It took a moment but eventually she gave in and kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in closer to him as her one good arm looped around his neck and tangled in his hair. Yes, this was a fairly perfect moment.

Breaking the kiss for air he began to trail small kisses down her neck that seemed to just burn. Reaching her collarbone he gently began to nibble on it as the grip in his hair tightened a bit and a breathy half-moan escaped her mouth. He grinned slightly before continuing on kissing and biting at her neck.

However he was suddenly tugged back up to kiss her lips as his fingers began to trail up and down her body. She shivered slightly before arching toward him a bit. Things were starting to get heated up before Sam broke the kiss and then turned over.

Frowning, the Fire Fist did not enjoy being teased like that. Kissing the back of her neck as he scooted closer to her, he heard her tell him to stop. However he was not about to. Kissing harder, he attempted to bring her back into the mood but apparently it wasn't working. Her elbow found its way into his stomach before she then curled up, "Go to sleep you idiot. You're lucky I don't kick you out of the hammock altogether."

Sorely off-put, Ace snuggled into her this time without the kissing. His male pride was severely damaged and all he really wanted was to just keep going and perh- "Ace?" his thoughts were interrupted by the small sound of Sam's voice.

"Hm?"

"I… Uh… never mind."

"No, what is it?"

"When you said that people still love me… who else is there besides you?"

"Well… I'm sure your father does and I know Marco and Thatch like you."

"Marco and Thatch sure but… I don't think my dad does…"

"Sam."

"Well, that was just my question. Night."

With that the conversation immediately dropped off and Ace was left to wonder where that came from. However before long his eyelids began to get heavier and heavier. Within a few moments he had dropped off to sleep beside his lovely wife.

**Unknown Pov**

"So tell me, how are things going?" A voice hissed from the shadows.

"Not all that well, it seems that Ace is doing a better job of protecting her than I thought he would. I can't get close to her without him always being there." A second voice answered.

"Zehahaha, well then, I guess I tell Teague about you incapability to do this."

"No! I swear that I'll get the job done!"

"Then see to it."


	9. Chapter 9

**Ace's Pov**

By the time Ace awoke Sam was already gone however this had been usually for the past couple of weeks. Sitting up he stretched, that wasn't unusual for him to wake up to her missing. Still, one morning he wished that he would wake up with her next to him. Still at least she didn't kick him out of the hammock too often anymore and he even got a kiss if he didn't mind having his stomach jabbed at two seconds later. Perhaps they were making some progress.

Getting up and cracking his spine into place, Ace took a second to don his orange hat before he made his way out of their room. Hearing a strange laugh Ace looked up to see Marshal D. Teach making his way down the hallway. Passing each other they gave a respectful nod before carrying on.

Ace always thought that Teach was a bit off but he never really put much thought into it. Entering into the kitchen as was where Sam most likely was his intuition paid off. His lovely wife was sitting at the table in there with Mercedes and Valerie Calcifer. They were all laughing over something and Ace took a moment to look at his lovely wife.

Sam's hair was pulled back into an uncharacteristic ponytail that went to her lower back. Her usual outfit of a bikini top, shorts, and combat boots looked pretty good but he wished she'd pull back her bangs so he could see those sparkling blue eyes. Of course she could also wear something else but she had made it perfectly clear that this was her outfit of choice. Not wanting to anger the female he had just decided to threaten most of the male population instead.

"So what are we talking about?" He asked while taking a seat next to Sam.

She shrugged, "I was just telling them about the time Luffy decided to feed you Poison Ivy by mistake."

Ace blushed and groaned as the other women at the table cackled with glee. Of course she would be telling that story to them. "Ace is it true that you actually ate it without thinking?" Val asked while she stopped laughing long enough.

"Yeah…"

"O-oh my god, y-you idiot!"

Ace hung his head even more as a bout of depression settled in. Soon enough the entire ship would be hearing of his childhood exploit, "Alright I told you guys but once again promise that you won't say anything." Sam suddenly spoke up.

Val sighed, "Yeah, yeah, I won't…"

"You have my word." Mercedes added.

For a moment Ace couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sam was seriously making sure that the story didn't leave the confines of the kitchen? Looking up at her he noticed that she was slightly smiling back at him. Perhaps she did care about him after all.

"Oi, why the hell are you staring at me like I did something great, I didn't do it for you." She said slightly blushing and looking away.

He grinned, "Didn't do it for me huh?" Then leaned a bit closer to her face.

Immediately she administered a light hit to his forehead, "Don't get any ideas."

Ace groaned in slight pain as she got up from the table and stretched. Once her entire spine had cracked sickeningly did she begin to head to the stairs leading up to the deck. Not wanting to be left behind Ace trailed her like a puppy.

**Sam's Pov**

Exiting out of the stairway and onto the deck I sighed in happiness to see that we were finally on our way away from Ruby Island. Going over to the side of the ship I looked back to see the island on the horizon. Gaining a somber expression I rested my head on my hand as I looked back at my old home. _I'm glad that the log pose finally set… Farewell Ruby Island… _

For so long I'd dreaded going back there and it seemed that my dread was apt. I mean now Teague had a lock on where I'd been and they saw Ace get all protective over me, which could prove problems later on down the road. Teague had already proven that he had no morals when it came to loved ones.

Something gently bumped into my shoulder which caused me to look at Ace. He had a bit of an understanding look on his face which kinda annoyed me, he didn't know what it was like. However he just hugged me close to him all of a sudden, "Please don't look like that, I hate it when you look sad." He whispered.

"I'm not sad…"

"You also can't lie to save yourself."

"Shut up Portgas."

"Love you to Le Roux."

I chuckled slightly before taking in his usual scent. His grip got a bit tighter which pretty much pressed me even further into his chest, blocking off my air. "Ace!" I gasped while trying to get out of his grip. Was he trying to kill me?

Writhing around eventually I broke his grasp and doubled over gasping. I was about to snap at him when I saw Kellin and Ace having a bit of a stare down. Sighing I regained my normal breathing pattern and straightened up. Grabbing Ace I turned him around and pushed him one way before kicking a snickering Kellin the other way.

"Behave." I ordered them both. They both glared at one another but then looked away. Putting a hand to my head I had to forcibly stop myself from rolling my eyes and sighing, these guys were going to kill me one day.

Ace walked back toward me and slid his arm over my shoulders possessively. Jabbing him in the stomach to show that I wasn't pleased at being treated possessively I then let it go instead of starting a fight. We both then sat down on the side of the ship when I saw something strange, "Eh, Ace do you see that?" I asked.

He began to peer over as well, "Yeah, what do you think that is?"

"I don't know but I think it's either a ship or a Sea King."

"You know, grilled Sea King is actually pretty good."

I smacked him slightly, "Do you always have to think of your stomach?"

"Well you don't eat enough so I'm thinking for the both of us."

"Liar! I know that I eat just enough for me."

"Are you sure because you're looking a little too skinny, oh and the nurse that bandaged up your arm said that we can take the sling and stuff off later on today."

"Yus! I can't wait to get this fucking thing off!"

"I think that's the most excited I've seen you in weeks."

"Shut up Portgas."

"Love you Le Roux."

I scowled at him; I always hated it when he used my last name. He seemed to notice since he smiled apologetically. Rolling my eyes I roughly ruffled his hair which caused him to whine in protest.

"Hey look, the thing is getting- Crap it's a Sea King!" Ace yelled. I groaned as he tugged me backwards by my good arm. There was nothing I would love more than to have a nice tangle with a Sea King but lately since my arm injury Ace has taken me away from every battle to do with the ocean. He always said something about not wanting me to drown or whatever.

"Ace I want to fight too!" I whined.

"No way! You're not doing any fighting until those bandages come off and even then it's going to be a couple of days!"

"Since when did you turn into my parent?"

"Since you decided to act like a little kid and get hurt like that!"

"I didn't ask Kellin to pin me down in front of a Mystical Zoan Devil Fruit User!"

"Doesn't matter!"

Ace got to our room and set me in the hammock. He gave me a strict look before ducking out of the room, the door slamming shut. Glaring at the door for a few moments I then grabbed up a pillow and screamed in annoyance as I tossed it at the door. I was not a child to be coddled!

Managing to get out of the hammock without too much trouble I opened the door and saw Kellin about to knock on it. Raising an eyebrow I looked at him strangely, why was he coming to visit me? Also, how did he know that I was in my room?

Tuning back into reality I saw that Kellin was staring at me almost nervously. That in itself was strange because Kellin was never nervous, ever. "Kellin, are you alright because you look pretty nervous." I remarked. He looked at me a moment before nodding rapidly. He opened his mouth to say something when the ship suddenly lurched to the right.

Kellin was thrown on top of me as we were slammed into the wall on the other side of the room. My arm gave a painful twinge and I screeched in pain. Kellin himself was holding his head which was bleeding quite profusely. "The hell happened?" He screamed.

Pushing him off of me I cradled my hurt arm while scrambling to my feet. Exiting the room I heard him scream for me to come back. Ignoring the idiot I crossed the hallway and up the stairs in a few seconds flat. Making it up onto the deck I saw that the first Sea King was joined by four others. They were making a complete mess of everything as they began to smash into the sails and send our crewmembers flying in all directions. This was so not under control.

Ace was on deck shouting out orders as he shot out his fire left and right. People were scrambling all over and the entire deck was in relative chaos. Gritting my teeth I ripped my sling off and then slowly flexed my fingers, my entire arm hurt like a bitch but that was the least of my worries at the moment. Holding my hands out fingers splayed, I took a deep breath.

Opening my eyes I saw red just as I felt the tension in my arms. Gritting my teeth once again I saw the Sea Kings screaming in confusion no doubt at the loss of their movement. I groaned slightly at feeling them attempting to tug themselves free, damn these things were strong. However there was no way that I was going to be outdone by a few bad tempered, ugly fish!

Flexing my fingers slightly I felt a painful twinge once more in my bad arm but did my best to ignore it. By this time the commanders that had snapped out of their stupor were jumping on the chance to dispatch the foul beasts. "Sam!" I heard Ace yell but it sounded a million miles away.

Suddenly his hands were put on my shoulders which added another few pounds of pressure that I did _not _need. "Ace get off of me! You're weighing me down and I don't need any more pressure on me!" I snapped.

"Sam, a-are you doing this?"

"What do you think fucker?!"

"No need to snap! Are you alright?"

"If they don't kill those things or drive them off _now _I won't be able to hold them any longer! Now please go help them out because my arms are gonna break!"

"But-you should be- fuck it! I'm on it!"

Ace shot off once more and I clenched my eyes shut in pain while I tried to focus on anything other than what was happening at the moment. Perspiration trickled down my face and I felt ready to pass out. Eventually I felt the pressure begin to loosen on my arms and I was almost back to normal when something smashed into me.

All at once I lost the connection and screamed as my bad arm once again was pinned against the deck. "I'm so sorry!" Kellin screeched as he pulled me up. At this point all of the stress and pain had come to roost. Tears were actually falling down my face as I heard my crewmate's screams in the background, I couldn't do it…

I clutched my arm in pain and just crumpled on the deck, I pushed myself too much. Briefly I heard Kellin screaming my name but I was so out of it, everything sounded underwater. Then I remember something warm but my vision was swimming.

**Ace's Pov**

Ace was freaking out at the moment. Just when things were beginning to get under control the last two Sea Kings all of a sudden began to whip around and screech. What the hell happened to them being immobile?! Ace looked briefly over to the deck to see Sam crumpled on the deck hold her arm, Kellin standing over her.

Immediately Ace changed his direction to head toward Sam. Just as he was about there a Sea King managed to clip him and send him into the sail. The air was driven out of him and he thought that his spine was about to break. However he managed to get up just in time to see Marco get rid of the fucker.

Limping over to Sam, Ace shoved Kellin out of the way and picked her up. Her dilated baby blues looked up at him and Ace's heart was in his throat. Was Sam going to be alright? "Back off!" A sudden feminine voice rang out.

Without further ado everyone that had crowded around he and Sam suddenly parted to allow a short, blonde haired woman through. She was dressed in one of the nurses' outfits and her red eyes were blazing as yet another person got in her way, "GET OUT OF THE WAY NOW DAMMIT! DO YOU NOT REALIZE THAT SOMEONE IS _HURT YOU DUMB FUCKS_?!"

Finally everyone got out of the way and the hot tempered blonde crossed the deck over to Ace in a few short seconds. Her face was pulled down into a scowl and Ace briefly remembered that the nurse's name was Senna, she was Pop's head nurse.

"Put her down flat on the deck." She ordered.

Immediately Ace did as he was told and watched the woman mutter dangerously low while checking over Sam.

Suddenly she pointed over to the bag she had brought with her, "Reach in there and get my antiseptic and some gauze, now."

Ace quickly went through the bag and handed her the supplies.

Without skipping a beat she snatched up the supplies and then quickly began to unwrap the soiled bandages while scowling, "Did Aileen not make it clear that she shouldn't be too stressed or about how if her arm sets wrong it's permanent damage?"

"She did."

"Then why the hell was _your wife_ out here fighting _your _battles?"

"Have you met my wife?"

"Yes she has a relatively bad temper and can completely make this entire ship of men quiver in their boots, yes, I rather like her."

"Then you realize how I've tried to keep her safe without getting myself castrated right?"

Senna met his gaze for a moment smirking, "Like I said, I rather like your wife."

With that Senna went back to her work and in no time Sam's gauze had been changed and her arm checked. The ill-tempered nurse motioned for him to take Sam down below deck to rest. Ace nodded to her appreciatively before gingerly scooping Sam up into his arms.

"Portgas."

Ace stopped and looked back at Senna to see a serious look replacing her scowl as she packed up her supplies, "If she injures that arm once more before it's completely healed then I can guarantee you that it will be permanent damage so watch out for that."

His blood ran cold, "Th-thank you."

"Oh and she should be healed up in the next week or so but if I were you I'd keep her away from Kellin, the boy seems to attract pain with him wherever he goes."

"Wha! Sis you're being mean!" Kellin piped up.

Senna shrugged, "It's the truth; you're a walking bad luck charm." With that she then walked off.

Kellin then looked at Ace, "Commander you don't believe that do you? I'd never hurt Sam on purpose!" He said stepping toward Ace.

Ace took a step back, "You heard the doctor now go and see if there's anything you can do to help out around the ship. Seems were in for extensive repairs."

Without looking back at his subordinate Ace once again ducked down below the deck and walked to their room. Lying Sam down in the hammock he sighed as he stroked her face softly, it seemed that she was always hurt lately.

Taking a moment more Ace began to withdraw his hand when Sam suddenly reached out with her good arm and grabbed his wrist gently. "You're warm, don't leave…" She murmured sleepily while cradling his hand against her face.

For once Ace flushed as he looked at the situation presented to him. For once Sam was all cuddly but on the other hand he needed to go back up on the deck to help with the repairs and have a council with Pops and the other commanders. Biting his lip in thought Ace unfortunately came up with his answer.

Cursing his position for the first time even Ace slowly withdrew his hand away from Sam. She whined lightly in her sleep and that was almost enough to break Ace's will; almost. Taking leaden footsteps Ace managed to get out of their room and shut the door. Taking a breath inward Ace straightened up and then continued his way up onto the deck.

Just as he got topside he heard Pops calling for him. Walking up to where Whitebeard and the other commanders Ace saw none other than Red Haired Shanks standing there enjoying a drink with the crew. At hearing footsteps Shanks turned around with a bit of a smirk on his face, "So I heard all about you and my daughter Sam. Speaking of Samantha, where is she?" His face took a bit of a darker tint, "She's not hurt is she? If she was I'd probably have to kill the one who didn't take care of her properly."

Ace immediately feared for his life and probably with good reason.


	10. Chapter 10

**Ace's Pov**

Ace's brain was whirling in a million different directions as he tried to pull up an explanation that wouldn't cause the Yonko to kill him. Unfortunately nothing came to mind and he really wished that for once he just shirked his duty and stayed below deck with Sam.

Before he had a chance to even say anything the Yonko laughed before coming over and ruffling Ace's hair, causing him to jump, "Don't worry I'm just kidding! I know that Sam is a big girl and can handle herself, so relax!" Shanks said. Ace felt as though an entire two ton weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

Pops then spoke up, "Come over and drink with us my son, we were just filling him in on the latest exploits to Ruby Island."

Immediately Shanks looked interested and a bit anxious, "You've been to Ruby Island? Tell me, is Sylvia alright?"

A somber air fell over the entire area and Ace realized that he should be the one to tell him, "Shanks… Sylvia she… I'm sorry…"

"She's really…"

"Yes, I'm so sorry. I wish I knew what to say but I… I don't…"

Shanks was silent as he stared at the horizon with a blank face. The only reason Ace realized that he felt anything were the tears gathering in the corners Yonko's eyes. Shanks then shut his eyes and bowed his head before tipping his cup.

Everyone was silent as they waited for the Red haired captain to say something, anything. No one knew how long they'd been standing there until they heard light footsteps suddenly come to a halt, "Dad?" Sam asked as she was drowsily standing there.

Ace took in her appearance of a baggy shirt that she'd thrown over her usual outfit of choice. Her flaming red hair was down and it looked a bit tangled. Sam's skin was wax paper white and it almost blended in with the alabaster gauze wrapped around her arm that was all cooped up in its sling. All in all Sam looked as though she could keel over and die at any moment.

Immediately without thinking Ace walked over and picked her up into his arms. Sam made a small noise of discomfort and squirmed slightly but he quickly gave her a gentle squeeze to get her to realize that she wasn't getting out of his grip, "Accceee!" She whined.

"Don't start with me and what are you doing up in your condition?"

"Since when did you become my father?"

"As I've said before, since you decided to be a kid and get hurt like this."

"Sam… Is it true what happened to your mother?" Shanks cut in.

Sam looked over to him and sadness was evident in her eyes, "Yeah dad… they didn't lie."

"What happened?"

"Have you gone senile? I mean you did rescue me off that god forsaken island in the end. I figured you would have put two and two together!"

"Samantha you and I both know that your mother was strong, she could have gotten away."

"No dad, she didn't… Teague killed her and that's all there is to it…"

"Sam… I didn't… If I had known I would have taken you with me."

"But you didn't."

"Sam I would-"

"_But _you didn't. You left me behind on Dawn Island as if I were some piece of luggage that you didn't want to tote around. I get it, however I do have to thank you because of you tossing me aside I met Ace and Luffy."

Shanks said nothing as Ace tugged me over to him. Sitting down and taking a cup of Sake, he pulled me down to sit in his lap. I whined and glared at him but with a stern look from Ace I rolled my eyes and just sat still.

"Well... I guess I should be getting back to the ship." Shanks sighed.

"Izo, escort him back." Whitebeard ordered.

Izo stood up to go with Shanks, who clapped her on the shoulder, "How's it going man?"

Izo shrugged as they walked off, "Same old, same old."

Watching the two walk off I sat there and just blinked, why did dad just call Izo man? Apparently Ace noticed my confusion because he bumped my shoulder lightly and raised his eyebrow at me. "Why did my dad call Izo man?" I asked.

Suddenly the entire ship seemed to erupt in laughter as everyone around me began to burst into hysterics. I blushed before whining and pushing on Ace who was the closest to me. He attempted to tone down his chuckles but that didn't work very well since he took one look at me and then burst into laughter once again.

Whining louder I smacked him on the shoulder to get him to stop. Most of the rest of the crew was settling down while Ace was still chuckling slightly. "What the hell is so funny? I asked a serious question!" I whined.

"I-Izo is… Izo is a man." Ace wheezed.

I blinked for a moment, what? "A… guy? But… there is no way that _Izo is a guy_!"

"B-believe it my d-dear, Izo is most definitely a g-guy!"

"Clearly the world has gone to hell…" By now the entire deck was in tears while laughing as a blush rose to my face, it wasn't funny!

Ace must've noticed that if was feeling a little put off because he finally calmed down and gave me a hug, "Don't worry, I made the same mistake myself but it was in front of the entire crew rather than just these few commanders." He whispered into my ear.

"Still… a guy? I mean he's really just too pretty! Ugh… I think my stomach has just dropped out of my body."

Ace chuckled once more, "Don't worry love, for a few days you'll look at him weirdly but eventually you'll just get used to it and everything will go back to being normal."

"If you say so…"

"I know so."

Eventually the deck calmed down and we were all sitting around drinking sake, well… everyone except me. I sat there and pouted while Ace downed his glass. I really wanted a drink… wait, since when did I ever listen to anyone?

Ace was laughing when I began to reach my hand for his mug, almost there! Five inches, four, three… two… yes! "Sam no!" I grabbed onto the handle and had put it to my lips when Ace smacked it out of my hands. It burst on the deck and splattered all over everyone. Gritting my teeth I pushed myself out of his lap and started off down the stairs to the main deck, I just needed to get away from it.

"Sam!" Ace called behind me. I put my hand up behind me and hoped that he understood that I really didn't want company right now. Looking up I saw that my father's ship was already heading out and Izo was coming back. Quickly turning away so as not to spot her-him- I found myself heading to the kitchen.

Pushing into the busy room I saw that Mercedes and Val there sitting at the table. Mercedes had a worried look on her face while Val just sat there with one hand braced against her head.

"Hey, what's going on?" I asked as I came over. Both women jumped and looked over at me with wide eyes. They both quickly replied nothing which made me cock my head to the side, what the hell was going on? "Really? So there's nothing going on that you want to talk to me about? Nothing that involves me in any way, shape, or form?" I pressed.

"It's nothing!" Val yelled before rushing out of the kitchen leaving me bewildered.

I turned to Mercedes who looked guilty, "Mercedes, what's going on?"

"No-"

"Please don't tell me nothing because you and I both know that's an utter lie."

Mercedes sighed before motioning me to replace Valerie's empty seat. Sitting down I looked at her, "Well… it's about you, Kellin, and Ace…"

"Lemme guess, she likes Ace too?"

"No, rather it's something worse."

"What is it then?"

The old cook however shook her head, "I'm sorry but that's all I can say. The thought of repeating what I just heard… it's sickening."

"Fine, then at least tell me one thing."

"That is?"

"Does Val have any part in whatever horrible thing is going on?"

"No, nothing other than overhearing a conversation she shouldn't have."

I dipped my head, "Alright, then that's all I need to know."

Getting up from the table I yawned slightly before deciding that I would head back to the room. Shuffling on down the hallway I saw Kellin nervously come down past me. I went to give him a greeting but he basically brushed right past me. Stumbling out of the way I flipped him off behind his back before shrugging it off, I was too tired to fight.

Just as I was coming down the hallway I stopped in front of the door with Ace who smiled apologetically before opening the door for me. I dipped my head in thanks before walking into the room and then the bathroom. Shrugging into my night wear I came out to see Ace already comfortable in the hammock.

He looked up at me when the door opened and patted next to him in the hammock for me to join him. Sighing I picked up my book before walking over to him, for some reason I wasn't so tired anymore. "Hey I'm just gonna read for a bit, that alright?" I asked.

"Course, I don't mind, I'll fall asleep anyways."

Getting into the hammock with him I lay back on his arm while the pillow propped my head up. Opening my book from the spot I'd marked I began to read as Ace lay his head on my shoulder to fall asleep. However it wasn't ten minutes later when I heard, "What are you reading?"

"It's called the Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore."

"… can you read me some?"

"Can't you read yourself?"

"… not well…"

I sighed slightly before deciding to give into his wishes, there wasn't really any harm in it, "Alright I guess I can start from the beginning, but only because it's a wonderful story."

"Okay."

Flipping the book open I began to read softly to him and I actually found myself enjoying it even more. Ace seemed to as well since he'd stop me to ask questions every once in a while. I would answer them and then we'd continue on, I can't believe it but I think this was probably the first time we'd ever shared a moment where one or both of us didn't get mad and leave the other.

Eventually Ace's snores alerted me that he was asleep. Marking the page that we stopped on I then flipped forward and began to read from my own spot. The more the night wore on the less tired I seemed to get.

Sometime around midnight my arm began to itch while my throat felt dry so I gently untangled myself from Ace and got out of the hammock after putting my book down. Silently padding over to the door I gingerly opened it before stepping though and shutting it behind me. Shuffling on down the hallway I took a right and a couple lefts before coming into the kitchen.

Pushing open the door I went straight over to the cupboards and pulled down a mug. Filling it with fresh water I began to gulp the clear liquid. Once the glass was empty I set it down on the counter and took my arm out of its sling. Stretching it slightly I grit my teeth lightly at the tight tugging sensation that followed that action.

Hearing a soft gasp and then a slight thump I whipped around to see no one around. Feeling like there was something going on I crept to the doorway of the kitchen and pushed it open. Peering into the hallway I saw shadows, two of them. Creeping a bit closer I began to hear strained voices, "There's no way I'm going to do it! I can't!"

"Oh and why not?" A second voice shot back.

"Because I fucking love her!"

"Zehahahaha, love, you are foolish to love anyone other than yourself."

"I-I just…"

"Do it or I'll kill you."

"Go ahead… release me from this hell."

"No… if you don't do this I'll kill your sister."

"Don't you fucking touch her!"

By this time I was right on the edge of the corner, about to stick my head partially out when suddenly the voices stopped. Fearing that I'd lost my chance to figure out who the hell was talking I came around the corner and smacked into Kellin who looked like a ghost.

"Kellin, you alright?" I asked.

"I-I… no… I'm not…"

"What happened? Come on I think you need something to drink."

Pulling him into the kitchen I got out another glass and turned around to fill it with water. Just as I was turning back around to give it to him, a knife slid between my ribs as my eyes widened. Kellin was in front of me, tears leaking from his eyes, "I'm so sorry Sam… I didn't want to do this to you. I-I love you." He whispered.

Just as he placed his shaking lips over mine the glass had fallen from my hand to shatter all over the floor. A loud resounding _crack! _Echoed through what seemed to be the entire ship but I wasn't focused on that. Kellin just fucking stabbed me… he fucking _stabbed me_! Shock had overridden my brain as I slumped down to the floor.

Blood was seeping from my wound as Kellin immediately kicked my head. The blow was insult to injury as I felt myself losing consciousness. Vaguely I could hear Kellin's voice, "I-I'm so sorry my love! I'm so sorry! I-I promise that I love you and will see you again!"

**Ace's Pov**

For whatever reason Ace suddenly awoke with a start. He looked around to see if he'd startled Sam, only to see that his lovely wife was missing. Yawning he sat up and cracked his back, knowing Sam, she'd gone for water or something.

However when he heard a _crack!_ And then something hitting the floor he immediately hopped out of the hammock. Hurling his door open he barreled down the hallway as he placed a hand over the right side of his ribcage, it really hurt.

Another scream was heard from somewhere else but just as Ace was about to run for the newest scream Kellin came rushing out of the kitchen, tears flooding down his face. Reaching out Ace grabbed onto his subordinate, "Kellin what's wrong? Have you see Sam by chance?"

Kellin could only keep blubbering and clawing at Ace's firm grip. A particularly hard clawing made Ace let go as his subordinate shot off down the hallway as people began to wake up once more. Deciding to check the kitchen Ace came in and saw Sam lying all crumpled in a puddle of her own blood.

Forgetting about everything, Ace slid down next to Sam and saw that while she hadn't fallen on her injured arm she had fallen in glass, not to mention a knife between her ribs. Picking her up he quickly began to make his way toward the nurse quarters. Yet when Sam began to cough up blood he booked it.

Busting the door to the nurse wing down he set her down on the bed and immediately she was swarmed by nurses. Ace had to stumble back to avoid being trampled by all of the women as they quickly worked. Hearing more tumbles and crashes on deck he quickly nodded to them all before heading up to the deck himself.

Quickly making it to the scene he noticed that there was a crowd right around the front of the ship. Making his way over to it, he shoved his way through before stopping right in his tracks. Immediately his blood boiled as his skin leapt to flaming attention. There lying on the deck stiff and lifeless in a puddle of his own blood was Thatch. Whoever did this would die.

"C-Commander Ace?" Valerie stuttered nervously.

"What?"

"I-I know who killed Thatch."

Well that got his attention. Ace whirled around to grasp Val by her shoulders, jolting her, "Who was it?"

"M-marshal D. Teach."

"That son of a bitch!"

"H-he said that he wanted the devil fruit that Thatch possessed and… oh it was horrible!" She suddenly began to cry.

"Hey now, you did good to tell me what happened now can you do me a favor and stay with Sam down in the nurses' ward until I go down there?"

Val sniffled and nodded slightly, "Okay…"

"Good, go on and I'll be along shortly."

Val began to walk toward the below deck area while Ace turned back to see that people were already cleaning up… he couldn't even finish his sentence. Suppressing a shiver he went over to Marco who looked beyond angry.

Placing a hand on his friend's shoulder he saw grief in Marco's gaze. Ace was pretty sure that his own gaze reflected such feelings as well. The friends took a moment of silence before straightening up, "We need to meet with Pops." Ace muttered.

Both commanders made their way to their captain to see him mourning the loss as well. The other commanders were there as well but Ace still was thinking up ways to kill Teach, the bastard. Then there was the wonder of who stabbed Sam, there were too many secrets aboard this ship for his liking.

For a bit no one spoke. What was there to really say? However figuring that by speaking first he'd then be able to get to Sam quicker, "So… I know who killed Thatch." Ace began.

"Who?" Pops demanded.

"Marshal D. Teach."

"How do you know?"

"The information came from Valerie who has always been trustworthy."

"I see."

"Also we have what I believe to be another traitor aboard, someone tried to kill Sam."

Shocked murmurs broke out among the commanders, "Enough! Do you have any suspicions Ace?" Pops intervened.

Ace thought for a moment, "Yeah actually, I do…"

"Then tell me my son."

"I believe it was Kellin Ratchford. He's been acting suspicious ever since Sam arrived."

"Yes, I have noticed that as well." There was a long uncomfortable pause.

"So what now?"

"We decide who goes after Teach while keeping watch on Kellin. That's all, now go back to your quarters."

All of the commanders began to split off as Ace began to make his way to the nurses' ward, now to go see his lovely wife.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sam's Pov**

I groaned as I was once again asked if I was comfy. As grateful as I was to these ladies they were driving me insane. Every few seconds they would ask if I was alright or if I needed this, that, or some other thing.

"I think she's alright for now." Ace chuckled as he suddenly arrived in the room.

I looked over to see the nurses scurrying off to give us 'alone time' or probably something of the like. Seeing the way Ace was walking over to me and how the light that seemed to be always in his eyes gone aroused me to think that something was going on, "What happened?" I asked.

He then looked surprised, "How did you…?"

"Ace we're married and I've known you a long time, I think by now I'm able to tell when something with you is off, now what?"

"Teach… he… he killed Thatch and made off with his devil fruit…"

I sat there digesting the information. Sure I wasn't horribly close to Thatch but I did consider him my friend nowadays. He was always the one who would help me play pranks on Ace and he was pretty much always on my side. I generally felt sadness to hear that he had passed on from this world to the next.

"Sam, baby you're crying." Ace whispered before using his thumb to erase a stray tear making its way down my face.

"I… I hurt…" I choked out.

"What?"

"My heart hurts to-to hear that he's r-really gone."

"Oh Sam… I know because I feel the same way. Thatch was my brother and to hear that he was murdered for a simple _fruit_… I feel like torching the world. Not to mention the bastard who attempted to kill you, he will die a painful death as well."

"Ace…"

"No, you've had it hard enough as it is and for someone to try and take your life... I just… I'll kill them, I swear I will."

"No, leave him to me. I mean aren't you going to want to go after Blackbeard for Thatch?"

He looked at me, "Who said I can't do both?"

"Well K- the guy who tried to kill me is still here on the ship right?"

"I have a suspect but can you remember who did it?"

"No." _lie_

Ace made me look him in the eyes, "Sam are you sure? I mean this is big and if you do know then I need to know. So I'll ask again, can you remember who stabbed you?"

"No…" I said quietly.

Ace sighed before kissing my forehead and hugging me to him. I actually wrapped my arms around him to return the sentiment, god I love him. Wait… loved? Was I completely sure that I loved him? Separating out of the hug we looked at one another and that was it, yeah… I guess I did love him once more…

"I love you." I blurted out before I knew what the hell I was doing.

Now it was Ace's turn to be speechless. For a few moments we just stared in silence before he replied, "Y-you do?"

"Yeah… I'm sure of it this time…"

Ace just stood there searching my face for any hint that I was lying to him. However when he found nothing he cupped my face and crashed his lips to mine. I smiled slightly before kissing back; he tasted so sweet. He broke the kiss for a moment only to catch me up in another one. He caught my lower lip between his and gently sucked on it.

Getting the hint I opened my mouth as his tongue suddenly invaded my person. His wet muscle traced all around my mouth before coaxing my tongue to play with him. By this time the room had gone up by several degrees in temperature as he pushed me back onto the cot.

Crawling on top of me, his hands began to wander my body. I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss if that was even possible. However air became necessary as we parted to take in the sweet oxygen. Once we were fueled again his mouth sealed itself to mine in a searing kiss. This was the side of Ace that I hadn't seen in a long time.

He broke the kiss only to lift my shirt over my head. Then without further ado we were back to making out. I tangled my fingers into his inky locks and tugged slightly. He growled and massaged my sides gently with his hands. However when his hand brushed over my stab wound I gasped in pain and the moment was lost.

Separating we were panting as Ace quickly retracted himself. A crimson color coated his face as he quickly picked up my shirt and helped me put it back on. I felt like crying at the moment; for once I really wanted to be with him and yet I couldn't because I was fucking hurt. Ace seemed to sense my annoyance as he sat himself behind me, his legs on either side of my body.

He pressed a kiss to the top of my head before producing a familiar object, the book I read to him earlier, "Shall we pick up where we stopped the last time?" He asked. I smiled as I opened the book and began to read aloud. Ace had his arms wrapped around my waist comfortably as I was settled back into his chest. It was moments like these that I wouldn't trade for the world.

We read for a while until one of the nurses came in, I think her name was Alyssa but I wasn't quite sure. She asked if Ace could step out as she was going to change my bandages once more. He seemed reluctant to do that but I pushed him to go by saying he could come right back in once we were finished. That seemed to be alright with him as he nodded before exiting the room.

The nurse smiled as she began to undress me to get to the bandages, "He sure is different now that you're around." She murmured. Her fingers worked quickly to unlatch the clasps that were holding the white bandages from falling down. Once those were gone it was just a long game of unwinding.

"Really?"

"Yes, he's…happier than I think I've seen him in such a long time. He seems to enjoy life more now and I'm glad to see that he's finally having things work out for him."

"I've never really noticed since this Ace is similar to the one I experienced way back when."

The nurse didn't look up from what she was doing as she swabbed down the edges of the stab wound with some rubbing alcohol. I winced slightly but did nothing more, "I just have one question." She said.

"Oh?"

"Why did you lie to him about Kellin? Before you get suspicious I noticed the way Kellin has been acting around you and the fact that he was all torn up before anyone noticed that you were hurt tipped me off. I'm blonde not stupid. Besides I also talked to Valerie about it; that girl is always in the worst places at the worst times."

"I… Kellin is my problem and I don't need him to take care of this. I have plenty of people trying to kill me as of late and I'll take care of him myself. Kellin doesn't know what he's just done and I'm going to make sure that he pays with his life. I just hope that he doesn't know Valerie knows about him because I wouldn't put it past him to try and silence her."

She finally finished with her job and began to wind the bandages back around my chest, "Well that was just my questions. Thank you for allowing me to do my job."

"Sure and thanks for bandaging me up once more."

"Any time."

With that our conversation ended and Ace was let back into the room. Immediately he placed a kiss on my lips before he settled in behind me once more. Picking up the book he handed it to me and I had to laugh because he was almost like a very hyper kid, "Okay, so where were we?" He asked eagerly. I chuckled before opening the book to where we were.

**Kellin's Pov**

Oh god, he stabbed her. He just stabbed the love of his life and killed her! Tears poured down his face as he attempted to get a lid on his emotions but it was no good. Sheathing his knife he turned to race out of the room when he noticed Valerie's hair disappearing around the corner. _Shit, she must've seen!_

Freaking out now he darted out of the room and almost crashed into Ace who was yelling something at him, whatever that didn't matter. He pushed his way onto the deck and heard another scream as he saw Valerie watching Teach dispatch Thatch before running off with the fruit; as was according to plan. _God dammit do you have to see everything?!_

Val turned around to run yet again but instead locked gazes with Kellin. It was as if time slowed down until he was shoved aside by the frazzled crew as they made their way onto the deck. Shit, if he lost Valerie now then he would most likely lose his only chance to threaten her to stay quiet. If she blabbed around about what she saw then he would most likely be put to death.

Shoving through his crew members he finally saw her running away from Ace. Kellin's blood ran cold, she must've told Ace about how he had stabbed Sam and left her to die. Quickly racing after her as she turned into a secluded place she turned around just to have him put his hands over her mouth, "You've made a very grave mistake." He whispered.

While he had every problem possible with killing Sam, he had no issue with killing this rat. Taking out the very knife that had been covered in Sam's blood he shoved it into Valerie's stomach before ripping it open. Hot crimson liquid spilled all over the deck as her struggles began to weaken.

Tossing her down on the deck when there was a pretty loud uproar going on he then leaned down and plunged the knife straight into her head, instantly killing her. Taking his knife away, Kellin flicked a coin at her so she could pay the farrier on her way to the eternal resting place. Stashing her body and cleaning up the blood from the floor he began to walk back into the masses, he was lucky that he hadn't stained his clothes.

Rejoining the rest of the crew he noticed that all of the commanders were talking with pops, good, it was a perfect chance for him to get back to his room without being questioned.

Making it to his room he then sat down on the bed and curled up into a ball, he hadn't want this, not at all. Yet if he didn't comply with Teague's wishes then the bastard would kill his sister just for the hell of it. Kellin couldn't let that happen after everything his precious sister had been through, no, he would protect her this time around.

**Ace's Pov**

Sometime later the medication that Sam had been given had kicked in and she was peacefully sleeping in his arms. Gently removing the book from her grasp he tried to make sense of everything that had happened in the past few hours.

Even now he was having a hard time believing that Sam said she loved him. Did she really forgive him enough now to be truthful with her feelings? It was completely out of character for her but maybe a near-death experience could do that to anyone.

Shuffling her around slightly Ace was careful of her stab wound. Looking at where the bandages were he felt angry all over again. He knew that Kellin was responsible for this but he also knew that he needed evidence of such before accusing and killing the bastard. Yet he still was shocked that Sam would actually defend him as well. Why would she lie to him and say that she didn't know who stabbed her? Nothing made sense at the moment.

Then of course there was the matter of Teach. Thatch was his brother of sorts and Ace would be the one to procure justice for this heinous act. Besides, Teach was under his command so it was his responsibility to deal with this. However what would he do with Sam? He knew that she wanted revenge as well but he didn't want to take her along. Yet with numerous people out for her head he was afraid of leaving her as well.

Sighing he ran a hand through his hair, matters were so complicated now. Hearing Sam whine slightly at him moving once more he attempted to still himself. Looking down at her his gaze softened, he loved her there was no doubt about it. If worse came to worst he would lay his life down for her in a heartbeat. Though he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

He loved her so much and hoped one day that he'd be able to have a family with her. He wanted to live with her and their children and he wanted her to smile every day. He wanted to have them all safe and each day be better than the last. In fact when he thought about it he might even leave the Whitebeard Pirates to accomplish that goal, might.

Realizing that the night was beginning to wear on he figured that it would probably be best for him to turn in. Yawning he snuggled down as much as possible with Sam and closed his eyes. Yes, he would definitely give up everything for her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Sam's Pov**

The morning came too quickly for my liking. Rays of light shone down on my face which caused me to whine and curse the sun to hell. Cracking an eye open I lazily looked around to see that no one was in the room checking up on me and of course Ace I was snoring in my ear.

Twisting to face him I gently pushed on his chest to get out of his arms but he wouldn't budge. Another snore escaped from his lips and I winced slightly at the decibel level, oh god. Trying once more to get away only got him to hold on tighter as I pouted, I was never going to get out of here without employing other methods.

Rolling my eyes I began to sensually massage Ace's chest which I smirked at seeing his face twitch slightly. Burying my face into the crook of his neck I began to lightly kiss and nip at it which was now causing my wonderfully sleepy pirate husband to squirm. Biting back a laugh I kissed my way up to his mouth.

Placing my lips over his I knew at once that he was awake because he wrapped his arms around my body tighter before rolling on top of me. A squeak was cut off as he took the opportunity to slide his lovely wet tongue into my mouth. I moaned slightly into the kiss as he made sure to completely sweep my mouth with that muscle of his before breaking our kiss for air.

Looking into his eyes I saw exactly what I'd hoped for; lust. Without further ado he slammed his lips back down on mine and picked up the heated kiss right from where it ended the last time. My hands curled themselves into his hair and tugged slightly which caused him to growl into our kiss. Smiling slightly I tugged once more only to have his hands latch themselves onto my hips. I jumped slightly when he did that but soon enough got back into the swing of things.

Ace slid his leg in between mine and began to apply pressure while his mouth littered kisses all across my clavicle. He gripped the hem of the bottom of my shirt and began to lift it up. I drug my nails down his back to leave light scratches as the shirt was just below my bust. Just as he was about to lift it higher the door flew open and Marco snatched Ace off the top of me.

A snarl came from my husband's mouth but Marco tossed him out of the room before turning to me, "Get up, we need to see you two now." He said with no emotion before stalking past a literally flaming Ace and down the hallway. I sat up perplexed and looked at Ace who was trying really hard not to burn the deck. Sighing I slid my shirt back down, fixed my hair and then slowly got to my feet.

I wobbled slightly and Ace was immediately by my side, "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Ace I'm fine, seriously."

"Are you sure?"

I rolled my eyes before slightly pushing on his now extinguished chest, "Yes now come on we'd better go find Marco since he's in serious mode."

"Yeah I wonder what that was all about."

"I don't know but I hope it isn't anything too bad." I replied before we got to the end of the hallway and turned to the right.

We arrived on to the deck and then came over to where everyone, including Whitebeard, were gathered. Ace got there before me and as I came up toward him he turned around and stopped me from seeing what everyone was looking at.

"Ace what the hell?"

"Trust me… you don't want to see it." His voice sounded choked.

"I'm sure that I can handle it so please step aside."

"Sam I'm serious, don't."

"Ace I'm not a child." I was seriously beginning to get annoyed with him.

"_No Samantha!_"

I stopped and looked at Ace, he used my real name. "Is… who died now?" I asked suddenly.

"Sam…"

"Ace please…"

"I… you really don't want to know."

"Fine…" I turned away only to quickly whip around Ace.

"Sam!"

I stopped short as I looked at the mangled body of Valerie, my good friend. Her skin was waxy as her glassy eyes stared into a non-existent abyss. Blood crusted on her skin was dry and chipping off in dark, disgusting flakes. Ace immediately turned me around and hugged me into his chest however the damage was done as the image was forever burned into my mind's eye.

"Who?" I simply asked.

"That, my daughter, is a good question." Whitebeard interjected.

"So we don't know…"

"I'm afraid not."

"Where's Kellin?" I asked suddenly.

"Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Sam if you know something that we don't-" Ace spoke up.

"No I just wanted to speak with him on a certain matter that I just remembered. However I guess I'll go and find him; if that is alright with you Whitebeard."

"Of course my daughter."

"Thank you, I will take my leave."

With shaky steps I walked away from Ace with only one thought on my mind, finding Kellin for answers. Stepping below the deck I wandered through its confines until I came upon a room. Knocking gently I heard all manner of crashes before the door opened to show a disheveled Kellin.

Upon seeing me his eyebrows shot up before he slowly sidestepped to allow me entrance into his room. It probably wasn't the smartest idea on my part but I walked into the room as he shut the door behind me. The darkness of the room I actually found slightly comforting, at least I wouldn't have to see his face when I beat it inwards.

Going over to the small indent beneath the window I sat myself there and curled up to accommodate the small space. Turning to face Kellin I saw him nervously leaning against the wall, fingering what I assumed to be some weapon. However in the gloom it was too hard to make out exactly what the object was.

"So… is there a reason you've sought me out?" Kellin began.

"Cut the shit, you and I both know that you attempted to murder me and… and you succeeded in killing Valerie. However what I really want to know is why?"

"It's part of the plan set forth by Teague."

"What plan?"

"You don't need to know that."

I narrowed my eyes slightly at that answer, "Oh really? Perhaps I should go and get Ace then, I'm sure that he'd have the greatest time with interrogating you."

"No!"

"Then start speaking."

"Love, there's not much I can tell-"

"Don't call me love!" I snapped.

"Fine but I have a question, why didn't you tell Ace about… well… what happened?"

"Ace doesn't have to be bothered with this, besides this is my problem."

"Really?"

"Hell yes so tell me another thing, why did you kill Valerie?"

"She saw me stab you."

"I see… we'll no offense but I'm going to kill you now you traitor."

"I figured."

Without thinking I ducked just as a huge knife stuck into the wall right where my head would have been. Rolling forward and careful of my previous injuries which were still numbed from my earlier medication I kicked out my leg and caught Kellin in the stomach. He coughed out as I then slammed my fist down on his neck.

Kellin hit the floor and then rolled over before whipping around and kicking up into my bad rib. I screeched in pain but did my best to work through the pain as I palmed my knife and sliced deep into his cheek. He hissed before landing a punch to my own face. I reeled back slightly before I shot out my foot and caught him in the stomach.

As he went down again I held my hand out and caused him to stop moving all together. He attempted to move but as he looked up and his eyes met with mine he knew that it was over the minute I held out my hand. Getting a tighter grip on my knife I began to make my way toward him just as the door burst open and Ace tumbled into the room. I looked over to him to see a dark look on his face, "So it was Kellin who tried to kill you." He muttered.

"Ace what the hell are you doing here?"

"I've been here for a while and I have to say that we're talking about honesty after this."

"Seriously you didn't need to know-"

"Save it Samantha!" Ace snapped. My mouth closed, that was the second time today he'd used my full name, I was in some deep shit.

Unfortunately because I was so focused on how pissed Ace was at me, my concentration slipped and Kellin was able to wriggle free. By the time I realized my mistake the little rat had squeezed out of the room and was off down the hallway. Snarling Ace and I raced out of the room after the bitch.

Tearing onto the top deck all of the commanders looked at Kellin and then Ace and I chasing after him. Apparently though Marco got the message and began to transform to help. I poured on the speed as I flicked out my hand toward Kellin once more. However just as I did he pulled a strange mirror out of his pocket before suddenly disappearing.

Stopping short I looked for any sign of where he might've gone but sadly he wasn't anywhere. Ace smacked lightly into my back and everyone was just looking around for the traitor turned phantom. Seeing the strange mirror on the deck I bent down and retrieved it. Looking at it I rolled the small object around in my hand, how did he do it?

"Sam." Ace's voice snapped me out of my reverie.

"Huh. What?"

"I was asking if you're alright because you're bleeding."

Looking down I saw that my side was once again bleeding, "Yeah I'm okay, I actually don't feel anything."

He held out his hand for me, "Come on then, Pops wants you to be present in the Commander meeting."

"Sure…" I muttered as he tugged me along.

We came to where all of the commanders were gathered around Whitebeard. A morose air hung over us all at the two deaths that had been committed. Apparently someone wanted to die by the hands of us.

"My children, grave times have fallen upon us recently. However a price must be paid for striking out against our family." Whitebeard began.

"I will step up because both Marshall D. Teach and Kellin Ratchford were in my division." Ace said.

"I'm going too." I quickly piped up.

"Sam, no."

"Sam yes, I have a bone to pick with Kellin."

"You're not going and that's final."

I glared up at Ace as he pulled rank, "Listen here _darling, _either I go with you or I defect from this crew and go on my own, it's your choice."

Ace's nostrils flared slightly, "Sam… you do realize what you're saying."

"Entirely and I'm serious."

"No."

"Don't you get it?! Kellin know something on Teague, _Teague _Ace! As much as I fear that bastard I know that I have a definite link to him! So god dammit I'm going with you-!"

A smack to my face wrenched it sideways and cut me off, "If you think… that I'm seriously going to allow you to put yourself in harm's way… then you're _fucking insane_." Ace said slowly, pronouncing each syllable.

Shock slowly drained away from my body as I slowly turned myself to face him, "Then so be it." Was the last thing I said before flexing my fingers discretely.

"S-!" Before Ace could get out my name I was holding him immobile. Turning abruptly on my heel and stalking past everyone. No one made a move to stop me.

Slamming the door open I stormed down below the deck and to our-MY-room. Flopping into the hammock I lay there trying my best not to just go into a fit of rage. I can't believe the bitch slapped me like that! Holding my throbbing cheek lightly I tried to decipher my emotions. Yeah I was fucking pissed off but at the same time I felt… sad? Hurt? Like I want to cry? All of those emotions and feelings were battling for dominance in my head.

**Ace's Pov**

A couple of hours later Ace the door gently slid open to cast a small sliver of light into the dusky room, "Sam, love, are you awake?" Ace asked softly.

She made no sound what-so-ever but it seemed like she was awake, "Sam, please, I'm sorry I never meant to hit you, I was just pissed."

"Obviously." She snapped.

"Are you alright." He came over and started to get into the hammock when she rolled out of it and shot right under his feet to the other side of the room.

"Don't touch me!"

"Sam come on!"

"Piss off you bastard!"

"Sam seriously… you do realize that I can't risk you getting hurt."

I settled down in the far corner away from him, "I don't care, you still smacked me across the face and humiliated me in front of everyone. Just stay away from me."

Ace then realized that it wasn't the fact of him saying no to her going with him but rather the fact of him smacking her. It was also at that exact moment that he realized how bad he'd screwed himself over.

Sighing he just flopped into their hammock and rolled over so his back was to her. If there was anything he'd realized after living with her for so long it was that things were easier talked and smoothed over in the morning. For now all he'd have to do was wait out the night.

**Sam's Pov**

The night wore on and my muscles were stiff from sitting in one position for so long. I heard the deep, even snoring of Ace. As quietly as I could I packed up my bag and then settled it on my shoulders. Gingerly opening the door, careful of the slight creak it gave I then shut it behind me without a noise.

Walking down the hallway I got to the deck and quietly set a skiff ready for the next island. Checking to see that my log pose was set I then checked my provisions before setting out. As the gentle waves took the skiff from the great Moby Dick, I looked back to bid a farewell to the place I'd called my home for the last little bit. _Here we go…_


	13. Chapter 13

**Ace's Pov**

Ace sighed contentedly as he rolled over in his hammock. As usual Sam was not there when he woke up but oh well. Opening his eyes the Fire Fist sat up and blearily looked around their room, was it cleaner than last night?

Slipping out of the hammock and landing down on the icy, wooden floor of their room he looked around to see that the room was indeed cleaner. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he noticed that a certain female's clothes were missing. Looking in the corner he also noticed that her pack was missing as well.

A mix of emotions shot through Ace as the recognition of what she'd done dawned on him. Oh how he was going to kill that hard headed wife of his when he got ahold of her! Tearing out of his room he stopped only long enough to snatch up his already packed bag and ugly orange hat before barreling off toward the deck.

Making it up to the deck he looked around to see the usual crew mates fixing the riggings, swabbing the decks, and charting where to go. The salty breeze bit at Ace as he spotted Marco over by the railing.

"Marco." Ace said as he neared his friend.

The other devil fruit user turned to face him, "What's wrong?"

"Sam's gone."

"What? Are you sure she's not hiding out?"

"I'm positive, check the skiffs."

Marco was only gone a second before a loud swear was heard, "Who knows how far she's gotten!"

"Well I guess I'm setting out today then."

"Are you sure?"

Ace's eyes hardened, "I'm going after her and Teach while I'm at it."

Marco clapped his buddy on the shoulder, "Then be safe, I've lost more crewmates lately then I've ever cared to." He then turned to walk away, "Also, smack Sam on the back of her little crimson head when you find her next."

Ace nodded before he then went to go tell pops that he was leaving. Heading up to where his captain was situated he saw that Pops just nodded his head to him, "Be safe my son." Was all Pops said before barking out order and downing more grog. Ace smiled as he shouldered his pack and went to his skiff. Sam was in for it when he found her.

**Sam's Pov**

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! _Racing through the town I hoped to get away from the pissed off villagers as they screamed and hurled sharp objects and rocks at me. Of course they would resort to their primal ways but I wish it wasn't against me.

Sure, I may have assaulted their leading religious leader but hey he was a pervert! I don't care if it's considered an 'honor' I am not going to be touched like that! Another rock whizzed past my ear as I took in a quick breath as I focused on running faster. Sliding down under a gate I rolled back onto my feet and took a quick left.

Jumping up onto the ladder on the side scaffolding I scaled to the roof and just fell over onto the hard surface when I saw the angry villagers surround both sides of the alleyway. When they didn't see me they looked surprised but soon enough one bright villager seemed to realize that I'd scaled the building.

They began to climb up the scaffolding as well and I let out a curse before I started to run again. Really in all reality I could just use my Devil Fruit Abilities on them but that would be immoral in my book. In the back of my mind I knew that eventually they would get tired of the chase and head home, I just needed to outrun them until then.

Just as I was about to continue on forward a hand reached out of the surrounding shadows of an alleyway and tugged me into the dark depths. A scream was cut off as a hand was clapped over my mouth. "Shhh, I am not going to hurt you." A cool feminine voice whispered in my ear.

Stopping my struggling as the mob ran past I waited until they were completely gone to use my abilities to get this stranger to let me go. Once I was out of their hands I whipped around to face them. In front of me I saw a girl that was about my age maybe a little older. Her wispy silver hair seemed to float around her as cool icy eyes regarded me calmly. She was paler than perhaps even snow and was dressed in tan pants with a dark sleeveless top. On her upper right arm a blood red ribbon was tied in an elegant knot, contrasting with her alabaster skin. On her back a white, sheath-less sword gleamed menacingly.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I do not have a set name but for now you may call me Chess."

I raised an eyebrow, "No set name?"

"Come along with me Samantha." She simply replied before turning to walk away.

Intrigued I followed her; most likely against my better judgment, "Hey, Chess, where are we going?"

"We are heading for the edge of town to leave before the villagers return."

"Why are you helping me."

"It was the will of a very old friend of mine to help you."

"Oh? Who is this 'old friend' of yours?"

Chess only spared me a quick glance before turning down an alleyway that spat us out onto the main village road, "He was a very brave man, I am very surprised you have forgotten him."

"Just tell me." I growled as we got to the edge of the town.

"Well, well, well, it's been awhile, captain." A new voice suddenly said.

I looked up at my old first mate, Sephi, "Oh my god…"

**Ace's Pov**

As soon as Ace stepped foot into the town of Newarch he felt the slight burning sensation of his wedding band while he noticed a mob heading toward him. Immediately the poor Whitebeard commander wondered what he did in the two seconds he had been in this two bit town and was getting ready to fight when he noticed that they were slowing down as they got to him.

Still not backing out of his defensive position Ace waited to hear what the man at the front of the pissed pack was going to say. "Excuse me but have you seen a woman with fiery red hair and blue eyes run this way? That bloody pirate bitch attacked our poor Reverend when he chose her to be his!" The man yelled.

Narrowing his eyes at the man's words Ace decided to attempt to play this coolly, "I may have but I want to know, where is your reverend right now?"

"I'm right here!" A slightly overweight man with dark hair and unremarkable eyes said.

Ace strode right up to him, "Tell me, was this woman beautiful?"

"Terrifyingly so."

"Also, was she wearing combat boots, a bikini top, and dark shorts?"

"Yes! You know of her? I hope you can tell me so I can take her back and tame her so she can be mine!"

"Of fucking course I know her! That woman is my wife!" Ace snarled before punching the man in the face.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd as the Reverend fell to the ground. It was then that the villagers began to collect their weapons again that Ace realized he'd better run. Looking down at his ring Ace waved that hand with the ring on it all around until he felt it heat up slightly, Sam was that way.

Hightailing it toward the west he jumped over a couple of fences and then was trekking steadily through a forested area. His ring kept up a steady heat which meant she was on the move about at the same speed he was. Gritting his teeth the commander pushed on. At the moment his first priority was to get Sam by his side again. After that it was all Teach all the way.

Behind him the angered yells of the villagers were nothing more than a muddled cacophony. Coming up to a nice clear hollow he stopped beside a small pool of crystal clear water. Leaning down by the pool he drank a few gulps from the water not worried about any illnesses in its depths. Because of his body heat he was able to pretty much incinerate any microbe that tried to make him sick.

Once Ace had his fill he stood up and noticed that the ring was beginning to cool. Cursing loudly he began a brisk pace to the west; his only thoughts at the moment of regaining Sam's company and apologizing profusely. Hopefully his beautiful wife would forgive him in time and not skin him alive.

**Sam's Pov**

"Oh my god…" I muttered as I saw my old first mate standing there smiling at me. Sephi really hadn't changed much. His dark crimson hair was completely sticking up everywhere as he attempted to smooth it down slightly. He was dressed in a dark shirt and cargo shorts while he had on boots. His bright yellow eyes trailed down over my figure before he smirked and fingered the knife on his thigh absentmindedly; an old habit of his.

"You haven't changed much captain." He mused with that slight accent I remembered all too well.

"Neither have you. What the hell are you doing around here?"

"Well the crew and I were actually just about to set off again when we noticed a certain someone running from the angry villagers. So I figured I'd send Chess to help bring you back here." He explained while walking up to me. He then put a hand on my face, "I've missed you captain." He whispered before hugging me.

I returned the hug gratefully, "I've missed you guys too, how is everyone?"

"Well they still miss you pretty bad but we're managing ourselves."

"Any new members?"

Sephi shrugged, "A few here and there but the crew is more or less the same as always."

"It's good to know that not much changes."

"Captain I have to ask-."

"Sephi, I'm not your captain anymore, just call me Sam."

He stubbornly shook his head, "No, you started our pirate crew and I've always known you as my captain. Sorry but there is no possible way that I can call you anything else."

"Sephi, I didn't start the Candy Pirates, I merely challenged the old captain for power… what were you going to ask?"

"Please, please come back to the Candy Pirates. We need you."

I groaned, "Sephi… you know I can't do that!"

"Why not?!"

"Because I unfortunately am with the Whitebeard Pirates!"

An uncomfortable silence reigned over the entire clearing as no one spoke, "W-Whitebeard? Why?"

"I lost a bet and now I have to be in his crew. Believe me, it's not by choice."

Sephi just looked up at me sadly, "Then will you just accompany us for a little bit."

"Sephi I don't know about that… I mean I'm looking for a man named Kellin who knows about Teague."

"Then let us help you! We're still searching for Teague for you!"

We must've argued for the better part of an hour before finally I gave up and agreed to at least accompany them for the next little bit. Sephi was over the moon while Chess remained as unemotional as possible.

Traveling fast we came into a small encampment at the base of a mountain. There were a few fires and tents already set up as many crewmates ran around quickly attempting to set the makeshift home base up. Looking around I saw many familiar faces as well as some faces that were new.

Yet when I saw a head of bubblegum pink hair I couldn't help but smile, Amelee. Amelee was another one of my close crew mates. I would always tell her my problems and it seemed as though she had a good answer for them. She was my chief navigator on the ship. She was the one who oversaw the entire navigational wing and charted our courses for us.

"Yo Amelee!" I called out. She popped her head up, crimson eyes open wide with shock. Quickly jumping up the midget ran over to me and tackled me down into a hug while screaming something I hadn't had the time to catch.

"Captain! I've missed you so much!" She yelled.

Chuckling I pushed her away slightly in order to breathe, "I missed you too short-stack!"

She pouted slightly at my old nickname for her but didn't say much else. Rather she just smiled and hugged me tightly once more before Sephi grabbed me away. We went on again further into the camp. We got to a tent in the middle and then Sephi nodded his head to it, "You can stay here with me if you'd like. I promise not to try anything." He grinned.

I laughed before pushing my way past him. That was a bit of a running joke between us because when we had first met up I thought that he was always flirting with me wherever we went until I found out that he was hard-core flaming. Ever since then we'd been even closer friends.

Tossing my things into a random corner I then sat at the mouth of the tent and talked with Sephi. Laughing with him I found that I felt more at ease around them that probably even with Ace. These guys were the family I had for so long that it just felt natural to be here talking with them.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sam's Pov**

Waking up to sunlight hitting down on my face I groaned before rolling over. Hitting something smooth yet compact I cracked open my eyes to see a chest. For a moment I thought that I was laying there with Ace until I took in his scent and unlike the spicy, slightly burned smell that was always with Ace this scent was a bit… sweeter?

Sitting up I looked to see that Sephi was lying there, dead to the world. Chuckling at my idiot first mate I flicked his forehead before getting up and stretching. I was just as content to lay back down and go to sleep but I heard a commotion outside which seemed to wake the camp up. Deciding to see what it was I headed out of the tent.

The bright outside burned my retinas slightly but I pushed on; my curiosity getting the better of me. All around the camp people were scrambling away while I, stupidly, stood there. Unfortunately just as I made out what the heck I was staring at it was too late. There stood Cassie, the person who stole my rank of captain from me.

Her dark eyes burned with recognition as they sized me up while she crossed her slightly muscular arms. A scowl was set upon her tanned face while she shifted her weight slightly onto the right leg. At her hip hung my own sword which pissed me off even more, I should be the one with that, not her.

"What are _you _doing here?" She spat the word 'you' at me as if it left a rotten taste in her mouth; the bitch.

"What does it look like? I was staying here earlier because Sephi invited me to."

Her eyes narrowed, "Sephi isn't the captain of this crew, I am."

"If you want to get technical I'm the captain still."

"No you aren't! I beat you in battle!"

"It wasn't in front of the crew. You fought underhanded and dirty to gain the captainship!"

Immediately _my _sword was in her hand and pointed at my neck, oh how I wanted to snap hers. "You listen and listen well, _I am _the captain of this ship and _you will _respect that. Now get out."

"Cassie chill your fucking tits. I wanted her around." Sephi said as he walked over and placed his arms around Cassie's hips.

The bitch-captain blushed slightly and looked away, "You still should've consulted me first."

"Oh but my dear your beautiful self was busy and we needed the help so… I just thought that I'd not bother you with this…" He said as he took her chin gently in his hand to make her look at him in the eyes.

She seemed to melt slightly, "O-oh… well-still you should've informed me but… I guess she can stay."

I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or puke at the sight of Sephi manipulating this bitch like a pro. Apparently she didn't get the fact that he was _gay _but oh well, I still got to stay. Turning away from her I decided to go and see if anyone needed any help somewhere. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder looking back I saw Sephi standing there with a serious face, "I need to talk to you."

**Ace's Pov**

Ace was about to gnaw his own arm off. He was starving once again and his wedding band hadn't gotten hotter or colder since he started out. So badly he wanted to raid the next people he found for food but that wasn't his objective at the moment. Right now he had to keep going in order to find Sam.

Continuing on the rocky path that was leading up the side of the mountain he had begun to traverse he tried to think about anything other than his stomach. So naturally he thought about the other most prevalent thoughts running rampant in his head, Sam. He couldn't believe that once again she had just decided to up and leave him like that.

Ace was so caught up in his thoughts that he had no idea of where he was walking. As a result he ended up walking straight into a tree and falling flat on his back. Groaning the Fire Fist got back up and rubbed his face. _That hurt… _

Hearing laughing from up a head Ace looked to see two young girls laughing at him. They were weighted down with fairly heavy packs and it seemed that they were carrying supplies. Shaking his head he was about to slink off to the depths of hell when he realized that those girls might have food. Straightening up immediately he looked over to them with hope pretty much written all over his face.

"Excuse me ladies but do you have any food?" He asked hopefully.

"Depends, what can you do for us?" The girl on the left asked as a single hand flipped flame colored locks over her shoulder.

"What do you need me to do?"

"All you need to do is carry all of this stuff back to our camp for us." The second girl replied, emerald green eyes trained on him.

"Seems easy enough. Allow me to carry your packs for you."

The two girls tossed him their packs and Ace's arms nearly broke. However he righted himself just in time and was able to keep himself from looking like a weak fool. Shouldering his own pack onto the middle of his back, covering his tattoo he then situated everything correctly. Straightening up he nodded to them before they started to move.

They made it back to camp within the span of half an hour. The girls directed him to where he could drop the stuff and boy was he glad. Setting the bags down Ace stretched his sore muscles. He had no idea of what was in those packs but they sure were weighted down.

"Hey there mister thank you so much for carrying our packs for us!" The girl with green eyes, Lettie, as Ace had come to figure out said.

"Yeah without you we would've taken forever!" Tayley, the other girl, added.

"No problem but I have a serious question."

"Which is?" Tayley asked.

"Food?"

"Oh! That's right, we did promise you food! Well, if you'll follow me then I'll go and take you to our cook, Meister."

Ace nodded and followed Tayley as she took him further into the depths of the camp. They passed many of the tents that seemed to still be occupied and hooked a sharp left. Here they came up on what Ace guessed to be the makeshift galley.

Stumps were set around to be makeshift tables while pirates of all genders, sizes, and ages sat around them chatting and generally having a great time. Then there was the 'back' of the galley so to speak. There a skinny man around twenty-five with a thick head and beard of blonde hair was slaving away over a fire. He had multiple pots and pans of things brewing while he would check other pots and dish out food onto the plates that they had. He was whistling a merry tune, one that Ace couldn't recall where he'd heard it.

"Hey there Meister! This guy helped us with getting our packs back to camp do you think that you can fix him up with some food?" Tayley asked loudly.

"Wha?!" Meister called back.

"Excuse him, he's a bit hard of hearing," She then turned back to Meister, "I said, THIS GUY HELPED LETTIE AND I GET OUR STUFF BACK TO CAMP, FEED HIM!"

"Okay!"

Tayley sighed, "Alrighty, well I'll leave you here to eat in peace while I go and tell the captain why you're here. So as not to have you attacked."

Ace nodded, "Alright sounds good to me."

Tayley walked off somewhere and Ace turned back to Meister who was dishing up a piping hot plate of amazing looking food. Ace's mouth watered at the sight and he had to resist the urge to kiss the shaggy, blonde cook. The cook smiled amicably at the starving Whitebeard pirate before handing him the plate.

Ace took the plate and looked around for a place to sit. However Meister tapped Ace on his shoulder and offered him a seat right next to the fire. Ace nodded to him, "Thanks man."

Meister nodded, "I remember you."

"Huh?"

"When Captain was still here, she was your beloved, correct?"

"Captain?"

"Captain Sam. You are Portgas D. Ace correct?"

Ace looked at the cook shocked, "This is Sam's old crew? What the hell happened?"

Meister's gaze grew dark, "This-this bitch, Cassie… she took the captainship from Sam. However she's done a horrible job. Our ship has been wrecked for weeks and no one had fixed it yet and there is talk going around of a mutiny."

"You're kidding!"

"I wish I was. Yet now that Captain Sam is back perhaps we'll get some order restored."

Ace perked up at her name, "You said Sam is back?"

"Yup, she and Sephi are talking at the moment. I hope that they're coming up with a way to make Sam the rightful Captain once again."

"Tell me, why isn't Sam captain?"

Meister began to stir more pots and flip a couple of different foods in pans, "Cassie challenged Sam to a duel however the day before it was scheduled the bitch got into my food stores and made a concoction of Sumamisen. Sam, being allergic to it she was sick as a dog and her power greatly depleted. Cassie easily overwhelmed her and was about to take her life when Sephi stepped in and got Sam out of there. While Sam's life was saved the damage was already done, she was no longer captain and Cassie took over."

Taking in the information Ace had to will his fire to stay under his skin, "Then if Sam wanted she could take back her captainship?"

"Sam will only have one chance. Around here a person can only challenge the current captain once. If they lose and do not die then they can never challenge them for the captainship again."

"I see… do you know where Sam is right now?"

"Probably talking with Sephi just in the heart of the camp. I'd take you there myself but I have hungry mouths to feed." Meister said as he served up some more food to hungry crewmates.

"It's alright I can get there by myself. Thank you so much for all that you've done for me so far."

"No problem, I wish you the best luck mate."

Ace had finished his meal and nodded to Meister who had busily gone back to working on his food. Putting away his plate with all of the other dirty dishes he then got up to go and find his lovely wife. In all honesty Ace had no idea of how he was going to react when he saw her again because there was a vast mix of emotions. He was pissed at her for leaving like that but he was also relieved that he found her again in one piece.

**Sam's Pov**

"You're kidding!"

Sephi shook his head, "I wish I was."

"How the hell do you total _my ship_?"

"Beats me how exactly _she _managed to do it but the ship is completely destroyed. The only thing that still remains is a chip from the starboard window just by the captain's quarters."

"So what else has been going on since I left?"

Sephi sighed while scratching the back of his neck, "In all honesty I'm worried that the Candy Pirates are about to break up. No one seems to be working as a team anymore and I'm beginning to wonder about the integrity of the group. Everyone wants to do their own thing and they don't want to listen to orders of any kind. They're beginning to get rough."

"Well what do you expect when there isn't anyone to restore order with a firm hand?"

"Don't you see? This is _why _we _need _you back!" Sephi was pacing around before turning and taking my hand, "I need you… Please… Please just… _help us_ or else there won't be a Candy Pirate crew." His eyes were beginning to fill with tears.

I sighed and got up after dropping his hands. As much as I wanted to help get the Candy Pirates back on their feet I was royally tied on this one. I was a part of Whitebeard's crew and I knew that if I became captain that they would follow me anywhere but they wouldn't like that I would be ordered around. That would not be good for the dynamic of the Whitebeard crew or the Candy Pirates.

Sephi had no idea of how badly I wanted to take my crew back, he really didn't. Yet it wouldn't be good for either crew to fight amongst one another only to be snuffed out by Whitebeard in the end. I couldn't let that happen to my crew, I loved them too much. "Sephi… I'm sorry but I can't take back the leadership…"

"Why the hell not?!" He exploded.

I whipped around to look at him, "Because it wouldn't be fair to them to have them end up killed by Whitebeard!"

"_You don't get it_! I'd rather go down fighting Whitebeard than watch _our crew, our family_ break apart!"

Stepping back I looked at Sephi as though I had been slapped, his words cut me deep. He was right this crew was my family. Yet… I didn't truly know what was worse, seeing them break apart or seeing them be ripped apart. Sitting down I put my head between my knees. This was one thing I didn't miss about being captain, the tough decisions.

"Sam I… I'm sorry for yelling at you. I should have never-"

At that moment Sephi was cut off by Ace barreling into the tent, "Sam are you alright? The hell were you yelling at my wife for you-"

"Husband, shut up for two seconds!" I snapped. Immediately Ace was silent but then something dawned on me, Ace was here. "Ace? What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Well I was looking for you and while I was on that Teach."

"I… You… Okay?"

"Now that I've found you… WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING RUNNING AWAY LIKE THAT?!" I recoiled slightly at his tone, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT THAT FELT LIKE ALL OVER AGAIN?!"

"Ace…"

"Sam I love you but you're really trying my patience."

I clenched my jaw and narrowed my eyes, "Well you know if _you _hadn't slapped me then maybe I wouldn't have run off like that!"

"Well maybe you should've just listened to me!"

"Perhaps you should realize that Teague is _my goal_! I don't care _who the hell gets in my way_ because I will _cut them down_. Teague is who I am after and I will go after him no matter what. I live for the soul purpose to kill him and avenge everything that was taken from me and _you're not _going to stop me!"

"Sam… living for revenge… It's not a happy life. Please… babe please don't do this to yourself." Sephi spoke up finally.

"Sephi you yourself said that you'd help me kill him."

"I had hoped that if you saw that other people were helping you that you wouldn't feel that way. Sam… please Ace… and I… we both love you too much to see you like this."

I grit my teeth in annoyance, "Can we just drop it. I still have a decision to make…"

Sephi coughed awkwardly, "So what have you decided?"

"I don't know. Give me time to think on it." With that I walked away from both of them.

Exiting the tent I quickly exited the camp and off into the forest. Picking my way through the thick underbrush I came to a nice secluded place with a nice pond. Sitting down by it I looked at my reflection and sighed, yes there really wasn't an easy way out of this situation.

Sitting there I decided to see if meditating on it would help. Getting into a comfortable position, leveled out my breathing, and then closed my eyes. Attempting to quiet my mind was a greater task than I previously thought possible. However eventually I got my mind to just calm down and focused on breathing.

After a while of just sitting there I began to slowly reintroduce my most troubling thoughts. I weighed the pros and cons of each decision and then looked at the broad scope picture. Just as I was about to come to a conclusion someone gently shook me and snapped me out of my trance. Flicking my eyes open I saw Ace staring at me slightly concerned. Angered by the idiot interrupting me when I was about to come to a conclusion I punched him hard on the arm, "You idiot! I was just about to have my answer when you freaking woke me up!" I growled. In reality my previous anger at him had for the most part washed away but still I was about to come up with my freaking answer!

"Well I'm sorry but you were out here for pretty much the entire day!"

I looked at him surprised, "The entire day?"

"Yeah you haven't been back since about eleven."

Groaning I just let my head thump down on his chest, "I'm hungry…" I murmured.

"Then allow me to escort my lady to where she will receive adequate sustenance."

"Wow, big words for you."

"Shut up!"

"Nah I don't think I will~"

Ace put his arms around my waist and swung me around to face him, "I'll punish you if you don't."

I looked at him through hooded eyes, "Darling I would love to see you try."


	15. Chapter 15

**Ace chapter 14**

Ace crashed his lips down onto mine in a fiery kiss. Wrapping my arms around his neck I just managed enough thought to kiss back. Shoving me back against a tree he didn't break the kiss. I tightened my hold on his hair a bit more as he slid his hands underneath my thighs to pick me up.

Our kiss was beginning to get deeper when we heard rapid footsteps coming toward us. Reluctantly, we pulled away and he put me down. Standing there for a moment to catch our breath was all that we had because suddenly Sephi burst into the clearing looking alarmed.

Ace and I looked at him confused before he turned to face me and immediately tackled me in a hug, "Thank the heavens that you're alright! I was so worried that you had gotten attacked! By the way are you thinking about challenging Cassie yet?"

I sighed, "Well… as much as I want to, what about the ship? I can't very well have a crew of over two-hundred following us on foot while we go after Teach and Teague."

"Captain please!"

"Sephi," I began, "I, am not. Your. Captain." He just didn't seem to get it in the least!

"Please…"

"Sam, I think that you should do it as well." Ace suddenly spoke up, "From what I've heard from Meister, the Candy Pirates are going to start a mutiny and once that happens then they might go on to threaten other crews and get killed."

"But… I… fine…" I relented after no excuses came to my mind as to why I couldn't do this.

Ace noticed my crestfallen face and brought me in for a hug. I buried my face into his warm chest and just closed my eyes; things were getting… complicated…

Breaking away from Ace, he put his arm over my shoulders and we continued off toward came with Sephi skipping in front the entire way. I watched him and kind of shook my head slightly before Ace brought me closer into his side. I rested my head on his chest as we entered into camp.

Making our way to Sephi's tent we ducked inside and just lay there thinking. Neither of us talked, but then again we didn't have to. No words were necessary for we both were thinking of the same thing; the upcoming battle for the captainship.

"Ace… do you seriously think that this is a good idea?" I asked quietly.

"Huh? Why are you asking me?"

"You idiot! I just wanted your input but if you're not going to listen…"

Ace quickly rolled over to look at me with an alarmed expression, "N-no, no that wasn't it! I was just thinking, I'm sorry."

I sighed, "It's fine, however I just… I don't know how this is going to turn out. If the crew is thinking of mutiny and I do win the captainship… will that mean that they'll come after me?"

"I won't let them," he hugged me close once again, "If they come after you then they'll be dead before they even reach you."

"Ace you can't kill everyone who has a problem with me. Besides I can handle myself, I'm not helpless."

"I know that but you're my wife. I love you and no matter what you say I'm going to protect you to the best of my ability."

Giggling slightly I shoved him on the shoulder and then got up; it was time to go and talk to Cassie. Exiting the tent I searched through the camp until I found the bitch and Sephi talking -arguing- over whatever.

"Yo Cassie! You and I need to talk." I said.

Cassie's head whipped around at my words as she glared hatefully, "I'll deal with _you _later, I have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment."

"No, I think we're going to talk right now because at the moment I am more pressing matters."

"As if."

"I challenge you for the right to be captain." I said plainly.

As soon as the words left my lips did they echo around the clearing. She looked at me with fire in her eyes. I met her gaze and refused to drop it, I was the host of this show and she was not going to intimidate me. She opened and closed her mouth several times before finally just snarling.

Smirking at her I was going to turn around to walk off to Ace for a few words before starting our fight when suddenly Cassie came charging at me. Quickly ducking back to avoid her fists that lashed out I simply dropped down and swept her feet out from under her. She hit the ground as I twirled gracefully back up onto my feet.

Looking down at her I just shook my head and was going to walk away when suddenly there was near blinding pain in my right leg. Hissing in pain I whipped around and caught the bitch in the face with my heavy steel-toed combats. She cried out and I bent down, removing the knife from my calf.

I was about to say something when I felt a strange feeling spreading up from my stab wound. Looking at the knife I was beginning to see multiple blades, what the hell? Through my muddled state my brain came up with a clear, consecutive answer to all of my symptoms. However to make sure of this I sniffed the blade and immediately got that familiar scent in my nose, Summimasen.

Tossing away the knife immediately I was on Cassie and pretty much beating her within an inch of her life. Yeah, I could've used my devil fruit powers but I really didn't believe in using my powers against regular people unless I absolutely had to. My hand was starting to hurt from punching her hard face so much but I wasn't about to stop because soon enough I would be completely out of commission.

Unfortunately by now my throat was beginning to close up and my eyes were watering really badly. Stumbling off of the bitch, I stumbling back until I was practically coughing up a lung. Holding my ribs I attempted to take in massive amounts of air but it wasn't really working. Hearing a commotion I looked up to blearily see Ace trying to get to me while Meister held my flaming husband back.

I was wondering why since I thought that Cassie was out of the picture now. Unfortunately when I felt a kick to my ribs I realized that wasn't the case. Rolling over onto my back I was then kicked in the face by the bitch. I rolled a bit more before suddenly her foot was on my neck, attempting to crush in my trachea. Gasping I clawed at her foot in an attempt to get it off of my already partially closed off throat.

Pushing even harder I managed to get her to ease up a bit but not my much. Unfortunately my strength was starting to fail me as anaphylactic shock was beginning to set in. Judging by the look in her eyes she was going to kill me. Gritting my teeth I realized that I had no other choice than to use my powers if I wanted to actually get out of this alive.

Closing my eyes I held out my hand and just made a fist. At first I felt the pressure lessen and a choking noise start. Opening my eyes slightly I raised my second hand and made a fist. There was a collective choking sob before a squish and I was coated in something wet and warm. Unfortunately I was too far gone to really do anything but lie there.

Briefly I registered someone put their arms around me and pick me up. Some words were whispered in my ears but they were drowned out by the ringing. My head flopped back and forth and then I was out…

**Ace's Pov**

Ace was literally on fire at the moment. As soon as he saw Sam beginning to sway on his feet he started forward. However Meister caught Ace around the waist in a bear hug, "If you interfere right now you'll cause Sam to lose and as a result get her killed!" Meister hissed.

At the moment, Ace didn't give a shit what Meister said. That bitch Cassie wasn't playing fair and now it was plain to see. However he really began to struggle when Sam went down hacking up a lung and Cassie was back on her feet. At first Ace thought that Sam was doing really well and he was pound of his girl but as soon as the tide changed to this unfortunate chain of events it was really pissing him off that he couldn't _do _anything!

Yet Ace stopped once more when he saw Sam throw out her hand and Cassie stop moving. The bitch clutched her throat as she attempted to suck in air but it just wasn't working. She stumbled off of Sam and that was her fatal mistake. Sam held out her other hand and made a second fist. Everything next happened almost too fast to see.

Cassie gave a single choking sob before her body literally _imploded_. Her guts and blood splattered everywhere and it was obvious that the crew was trying hard not to be sick. Meister however had his stomach wrench control from him. He let Ace go and ran off to preferably go puke elsewhere.

Ace started forward and immediately picked up his blood covered wife. Her head was lolling everywhere and fear struck through him. He knew that she was strong but not even Sam could fight against her own body. "Who here is the doctor?" Ace called out loudly. Immediately a squirrelly looking man and a rambunctious woman came over.

"This way." The female said as she led Ace back through the camp to a very large tent already set up with cots. "Lay her down on this one and step back." She ordered while the man meekly walked over to where a bunch of medical supplies was.

They both began to swarm around the tent mixing various things and generally just completely making sure that their ward didn't suddenly stop breathing while they were mixing various concoctions. Eventually they began to administer the medicines and dress her wounds. At one point the female doctor turned to both the male and Ace, "I know you don't want to leave so I'm going to ask Emerson to step out while you, Mr. Ace will help me dress her more… scandalous… injuries." The woman said.

Emerson looked like he really didn't want to but none the less dipped his head before stepping out of the tent and drawing the flap down behind him. Once the woman was sure that Emerson was gone she motioned for Ace to come over and help her with Sam. Walking over there Ace walked up and noticed that she did indeed have a few injuries that were below her already revealing clothes. "What do you need me to do-uh…?"

"I'm Chauncey, Chauncey Adagio." She replied.

"Okay Chauncey, what do you need me to do?"

"In other words, just start stripping her. I need to get the salve from over there so please try and be quick about this."

"Alright."

Ace got closer to Sam and gingerly sat her up so that he could get to her bikini top strings to get them undone. Once they were undone he found himself blushing slightly as he slid her top off and neatly put it down. When he originally thought of doing this, he thought of them in a much different place and situation. However putting that aside he quickly unlaced her boot and took them off before going to her shorts and belt. Getting those off she was completely stark and ready to be bandaged.

"Okay good, now I need you to spread the salve on her cuts while I go behind and wrap her up with these bandages." Chauncey stated. Ace nodded as he quickly got to work. Spreading the salve over the cuts he fought to keep his blush down. Once he was done he stepped back and grabbed up her clothes. Picking it up he then began to dress her once more.

Finished with that, he then grabbed up a blanket and a pillow when Chauncey instructed him. Making sure that she was comfortable he then sat down next to the cot and just closed his eyes. He wanted to climb into the cot with her but he was too afraid of disturbing her injuries.

**Sam's Pov**

I absolutely detest the feeling of the tip of my nose itching. To me there was no worse feeling to wake up to. Groaning I jerkily moved my arm up and lazily scratched the itch. Yawning I slowly sat up and groaned at the feeling, I was so sore. Stretching as much as my stiff body would allow I then started rolling my neck to attempt to loosen it.

Immediately there were hands massaging my stiff shoulders which caused me to sigh in relief. "Mm, Ace?" I asked as I attempt to resist moaning in delight. His hands felt so good that it was just… devilish.

"Yes my love?"

"Why do your fingers have to feel so fucking nice at the moment? I mean I feel like crap and yet your fingers massaging my shoulders just feels so… amazing…"

Ace grinned slightly, she was still slightly loopy from whatever they gave her, "I'm glad that you're in a good mood."

"Yeah… I don't know what they gave me but I feel really… loopy…"

"That's alright, just take all the time you need, I'll take care of you."

"Oh you will, will you?"

Ace brought his face to mine, his lips just ghosting mine, "You'd better believe it darling." He whispered huskily before placing his lips on mine.

I smiled into our kiss before kissing back and wrapping my sore arms around his neck. My hands clasped together and served to bring him closer to me as he chuckled and gladly moved up onto the cot. Breaking apart momentarily just to catch a breath of air we once again connected our mouths.

Yeah, I really had missed this feeling; to me it was one that I didn't even know I missed until I had just recently experienced it once again. Ace now moved me onto his lap and secured his hands on my waist. Rushing my fingers through his inky black made he groaned slight before using his thumbs to massage my hipbones. A slightly gasp caused me to open my mouth which Ace decided was a candid opening to stick his tongue into my mouth. His tongue was rubbing over mine in a way that was just too damn good.

Just as Ace was going for the button on my pants the flap to the tent flew open and Sephi burst in, "Captain!" He yelled out urgently. Ace immediately released me and I flopped onto my back on the bed groaning in annoyance. However feeling the heat emanating from my husband I realized that Ace was out for blood at the moment. Sephi just kinda blushed and slightly shuffled backwards, "Uh…I'm sorry… I didn't meant to interrupt anything…" He trailed off.

"Great job you did there." Ace snapped back sarcastically.

"Ace enough, what do you need Sephi?"

"Oh, uh I was just coming to… see if you were alright but I see that… you're just fine…"

"Mhm, but I guess I should go out there and actually address the crew."

"Can't you just do that later?" Ace cut in.

"No, you used to be a captain, you know that." I scolded him.

Ace pouted before huffing and falling back on the cot, "Fine, I'll be here when you-zzzz…"

I looked back and saw Ace asleep on the cot. Laughing, I got back up and just shook my head; sometimes his narcolepsy really came in handy. Gently taking Sephi's arm for some balance, "Don't worry, I wouldn't let him hurt you." I said since Sephi was nervously eyeing Ace. Sephi grinned at me before nodding and helping me out of the tent to the open camp.

As soon as people saw me they immediately stopped moving about and just watched me intently. I smiled slightly at the people I didn't know and felt pride to see how my old crewmates had grown up. Honestly I didn't realize it but I really did miss my family.

"Alright, I know that many of you know me and nearly as many don't. My name is Sam Le Roux or better yet known as the Bloody Red Head. Now yesterday I'm sure every one of you saw me kill the former captain Cassie which makes me your new captain. I hope that you know that I won't tolerate any talk or thoughts about mutiny. However know that you all are also my family and I will personally put my life on the line for you. You all are my world and I will be there if you all ever need me. So… uh… Sephi, Meister, Lettie, aaaannnddd… Chauncey. The rest of you just… do what you do."

Walking a little ways away from the camp I looked around to the four I called for and just took a deep breath. I needed to take a moment to organize my thoughts because I had a lot of things to say and they needed to hear it but I also needed to be careful in the way I phrased my words or else I could have a riot on my hands.

"So what did you call us for?" Meister asked finally.

I smiled at him, he always was one to get to the point, "Yes Meister, there is actually a point to me calling you over here if that's what you're wondering."

"Well what is because I need to start lunch before long. The crew eats a lot but your beloved eats more than the entire crew put together."

"Yeah I know and I apologize but you four are the ones that I'm the closest with in this crew and I believe that you all need to know my plans above anyone else."

"Captain, what are you thinking of doing?" Sephi immediately asked.

"What I want you guys to do is take this money and get the ship rebuilt. While Ace and I set out I want you all to sail and find the Whitebeard Pirates. Give Whitebeard news on Ace and I's whereabouts and tell him that you're joining his crew under my orders as my own crew."

"What?! No," Chauncey snarled, "We _just _got you back, you can't run off again! We _need _you!"

"Guys I understand that you don't want me to go but you seriously need to do this for me. I can't fully trust anyone other than you four with this task. Once you check in with Whitebeard tell him that I then gave you permission to help gather information on Teague and Blackbeard to send by Den-den mushi to Ace and I. Oh," Fishing through my pocket I pulled out two den-den mushi, "Which color?" I asked.

"Green." Meister said while pointing at the red one.

I sweat dropped, "I completely forgot that you're color blind…"

Tossing the den-den mushi to them I then gave them all a large hug, "Remember guys, I love you with all of my heart and I'm not leaving forever, just until I get my goals accomplished."

Lettie immediately caught me around the waist in a tight hug, "Be safe." she whispered.

"I will." I replied.

Lettie then walked off and Meister gave me a big bear hug, "You are the best captain ever to be around. You make my day just to see a smile, please be alive when you return."

"I'll do my best."

Chauncey held out her fist for a bump, "Do me proud and try not to get your body too torn up since I won't be there to put it back in order."

"Yeah I don't wanna get torn up either because if Ace falls asleep as he's patching me then I'm as good as dead." I said. She laughed as she walked off and once again I was left alone with Sephi who looked dejectedly at the ground. "Hey… what's wrong?" I asked him gently.

Sephi just looked up and embraced me tightly, "Please don't die on me while you're out there. You're my closest friend, my sister practically so… _please _just _don't die_." He whispered and his voice broke.

"Hey, one thing you should know by now is that I'm really good at surviving. Those mother fuckers couldn't kill me if they tried."

"I hope you're right…"

"I know I am."

We hugged once more and then decided to head back to camp. Walking in I noticed that pretty much everyone was gone. Looking around I deduced that people were probably eating lunch. Sephi and I walked over to where Meister's 'kitchen/gallery' to see that everyone was pretty much stuffing their faces. Of course in the middle of the entire feast there was Ace shoveling food into his mouth.

Rolling my eyes I walked over to where he was and sat down next to him. What does he do when I sit down next to him? The idiot fucking ignored me! Quirking an eyebrow I then tapped him on the shoulder; still nothing. Sighing I finally shook my head and moved off to go and get some food for myself.

Meister smiled as he served me up all of my old favorites and I grinned before walking back next to Ace. Plopping down next to the idiot I had just set down my plate when he reached over to take some of it! Growling I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. He groaned in pain and I just twisted it some more, "I love you but if you attempt to take my food again I'll kill you." I said.

He groaned slightly in pain before nodding. Letting him go I watched as he immediately went back to inhaling food. Shivering slightly at him I just shook my head and began to eat. Once I had finished my plate I got up and handed it to Meister who smiled at me and then disappeared to go and wash the plate. Looking around my crew I gained a slight smile, my family.

For a bit we just all sat down and caught up with one another while Ace seemed to rapidly be making friends by beating them in arm wrestling matches. I laughed at their childishness before yawning. Gazing into the sky I saw that it was probably time to head to bed. Bidding everyone goodnight I walked into my designated tent and laid down on the bedroll already put out.

I was just about out when I felt arms circle around me and a warm body press into my back. A sigh of content left my lips but I bit them to hold back a gasp as Ace began to kiss the back of my neck. "Accceeeee stop it!" I whined.

"Why?"

"We can't do this here."

"You're the captain, I doubt they'd get onto you."

"No Ace."

"But why?"

"I told you, we _can't _do this here!" I growled as I turned to face him.

Ace smirked and kissed me lazily, "Then let's go elsewhere." He whispered into my ear after breaking the kiss.

"As much as I would love to… we just can't."

The smirk fell from Ace's face and a hard expression replaced it, "Fine."

Ace turned his back to me and shuffled a bit more comfortably into his bedding. I looked at him and just sighed. Gaining a rough hold on his shoulder I rolled the idiot and straddled his stomach. I then stared straight into his eyes, "Listen up you crazed dumbass, I love you and I want to be with you like that once again but right now is not the right time. It isn't a personal attack against you; just not the right circumstances." I explained in a thorough manner.

He just nodded and hugged me to his chest. A giggle escaped my lips before I pressed them to his. Immediately Ace responded as he kissed back and wrapped his arms around my waist. Breaking the kiss for air once more Ace then swooped up and kissed me again. Running my hands through his black tresses I just enjoyed the feeling of being with him once again. Things were beginning to start to heat up once more when I put my hand on his chest and gently pushed him back.

Our lips separated and our breathing was pretty much ragged at this point. Smiling at him I gave him an apologetic look before pecking him on the lips once more. After we separated again I rolled off of him and just lay my head on his shoulder, "Good night Ace." I whispered.

"Hey Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Why the hell are you so loving at night but completely beastly during the day?"

I smacked him, "Go to sleep Portgas, before I kick you out of the tent to sleep on the ground like the good ole' days."

Rolling over I closed my eyes and drifted off to the sound of his chuckling; stupid idiot.


	16. Chapter 16

**Sam's Pov**

Yawning I woke up in the early morning to Ace snoring right in my ear. Glaring at him I just shrugged myself out of his grasp and then decided to get up. Shrugging off the blanket, I was careful not to wake him before I made my way out of the tent. Stretching in the early morning air I looked around at the already busy camp and sighed today would be my last day in camp before Ace and I started off once again. As much as I didn't want to leave my crew again I knew that for now it was best.

Walking to the galley I waited for Meister as he cooked up an omelet with cheese and some herbs for breakfast. He dished up two plates and we both just sat down at a makeshift table to have our last meal together for quite a while. For a bit we were just silent but after a while we began to crack jokes and laugh just like old times. I'd almost forgotten how much I'd missed Meister, he was perhaps one of my most loyal mates I'd ever had.

"Hey… do you remember the first time we met?" I asked offhandedly.

Meister nodded while swallowing, "Yup, you were quite the handful."

"Care to tell me the story?" Ace asked as he came and sat down next to me.

Meister and I looked at one another and grinned, "Sure."

_ I grumbled as Captain Wralley shoved me forward once more. Truthfully, I didn't really want to join the Candy Pirates but at the moment I had no choice since they were the only crew taking members. I had to get out of this godforsaken island before I went insane. With Ace gone and Luffy off training all of the time I was pretty much left to my own devices all of the time. _

"_Here boys, fresh meat! Teach this little brat how to work on this ship!" Wralley yelled before shoving me forward. All of the men rushed toward me yelling various things while the women just hung back and smirked at me. They all were crowding around me and pulling at me left and right before suddenly one strong hand got a good grip on my arm and tugged me out of the fray. I saw daylight and felt like I could cry tears of happiness._

"_Stick with me." A gruff male voice said in an accent I couldn't place._ _There a skinny boy with a thick head of black hair that stood out starkly against his very tan skin. His dark eyes were slightly out of place on him but with his intense yet friendly gaze it was acceptable. I nodded and then he turned to address his other nakama, "Alright you dumbasses leave her alone she's _my _newbie! You lot mess with her and I'll immediately flay the skin off of your bones and serve it to the group smart enough not to cross me!" He snarled. _

_All of the crew grumbled and the male grinned at me as he grabbed my wrist and began to drag me to the galley. We went down the stairs and soon enough I felt the heat of the galley. The boy grinned back at me once again and then we walked through the galley and back into the large kitchen. The heat of the fires here felt like an inferno. All around the chefs were hard at work preparing the meals. "So newbie, what's your name?" The boy asked as he nicked two apples on the way toward the back of the galley. _

"_Sam." I said as I caught the apple he tossed to me. _

"_Sam eh? Not bad, not bad, seems like a good name for you. Mine's Meister, Meister Dracule."_

_I looked at him strangely, "Dracule you say? Are you related to that Mihawk guy?" I asked since that name wasn't all that common._

_Meister's gaze darkened, "Yeah… he's my dad…"_

"_Oh. So why are you here rather than on his crew?"_

"_He traded me for one of his nakama…"_

_ Immediately I said nothing more as we were put back to work by peeling vegetables and scrubbing whatever they tossed our way. Snatching up the brush that was hurled at my forehead I set to work scrubbing a pot that was no longer being used. I felt so bad to hear that Meister's own father had actually sold him; it made my dad seem to not be that bad after all. _

"_Here girl." One cook growled as he tossed yet another heavy pot at me. I dodged it and then collected it. Beginning to start scrubbing on it once again I put my head down and began to furiously scrub it. I was fed up with this already and it had only been about two hours into it. _

_The night wore on and eventually Meister and I were done and allowed to pick from the scraps that were left. Picking up another apple I simply bit into that and watched as Meister cut off scraps of meat from the bone and picked up a few untouched vegetables and put them on a plate. Going over to the still hot stove he took one of the pans that I'd noticed he'd set aside earlier and tossed all of the food in. _

_I watched as he expertly began to toss the food and prepare it in such an expert way with ease. He was constantly adding in spices and salt that I had no idea of what their names of. In a few moments when the stove was finally cool he found another plate and served up part of the food on a plate and then handed it out to me. _

_Surprised, I took it from him and sat down on the floor after he dished up his food and sat down first. He grinned over to me, "Well, I hope you like it." He chuckled before digging in. At first I was a little hesitant to try it but soon enough I took a bite and nearly died from how good it tasted, that boy had talent!_

"_Meister this is amazing!" I cried out surprised._

"_Thanks, I wanna be a cook when I get older."_

"_That's awesome; did you have someone teach you how to cook like this?"_

"_No, I just learned as I went." _

"_Oh, so are you going to be a cook on this crew when you get older?"_

_Meister sighed and shook his head, "No, they won't allow me to be. They say I'm better off as a deckhand than a cook."_

"_That's just stupid."_

_Meister just shrugged and continued to eat._

"_Doesn't matter, Captain Assburger up there won't let me."_

_I burst out laughing, "Assburger?"_

"_Yeah, you like that lovely title?"_

"_It's great."_

_ We were just talking quietly when suddenly the sound of footsteps stood out against the fairly quiet night. I panicked slightly but Meister was completely calm, "Don't worry, that's probably just Sephi arriving." He said as he finished off his food and then downed his drink. I looked at him like he was completely stupid but soon enough a boy around our age arrived in the kitchen, "Sorry Sephi but you got here late so you have to cook your own scraps." Meister belched out._

_ The boy with dark crimson hair groaned before going and picking his scraps. I watched him with a slight and weary gaze. He seemed to notice me watching him as he gave me a comforting and friendly smile before getting everything he wanted. Sitting down between Meister and I, he then began to dig into his scraps like a wild animal. _

"_So what's your name?" The boy, Sephi, asked with his mouth full._

"_Sam."_

"_Ah lovely name, it suits you."_

"_That's what I said!" Meister chipped in. _

_We all three laughed and things eased up a bit. Soon enough we began to talk about dreams and everything. _

"_Yeah well when I get older I'm gonna challenge Captain Assburger for the captainship!" I said._

"_Then you'll have the both of us to back you up. We're fully supporting you because if anyone has a shot at being captain then it's gonna be you." Sephi said. _

_I grinned as we all high fived, "It's a deal!"_

"And that's how subsequently Meister, Sephi and I met." I finished.

Ace stared at me with an unreadable expression. I raised an eyebrow to him but suddenly I realized that he was asleep! "Wake up!" I yelled and smashed my fist into the top of his head. The idiot pyro's face slammed down into his finished plate of food and then he quickly woke up. Looking around he finally snapped back into it and then looked at me,

"Why did you slam my face into the table?"

"Portgas… I really wanna kill you right now."

"Love you too darling-wait- I have a question."

"Yes ace?"

"Why is your hair blonde now?"

"I bleached it when I learned how to. I refuse to share the same hair color with the bastard." Meister answered.

"Oh… makes sense now."

Meister chuckled at the two of us before excusing himself to go and cook up some more food since the crew was beginning to wake up. Ace cracked his bones before standing up and offering me a hand. I took it as he pulled me to my feet and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Morning beautiful." He whispered as he connected our lips.

There were a mess of catcalls aimed at us but I didn't care or pay attention. All I wanted at the moment was the sensation of Ace's lips on mine which he was gladly obliging. However eventually we broke apart and then I headed back to the tent with him and decided that it was probably time to leave.

As I entered into the tent Ace was immediately kissing the back of my fervently as I attempted to stop the moans threatening to exit my mouth. "Accceeee stop it right now!" I groaned as he bit the soft spot of my neck. Ace whined in disagreement and continued what he was doing. Closing my eyes I leaned back against his muscular frame and just enjoyed the sensations as his hands began to wander over my body. I was about two seconds away from giving into him when suddenly we both heard footsteps approaching.

"Captain?" Sephi called suddenly.

Ace separated from me and he was so mad that he was literally on fire at the moment. I smacked him quickly across the chest and he calmed down enough to extinguish the flames. "What is it Sephi?" I called out as he came into the tent shyly. He and Ace exchanged looks and my poor first mate paled as he seemed to realize that he interrupted a moment.

"U-uh I j-just wanted to t-tell you good l-luck on your s-search." He stuttered.

I smiled and hugged him tightly, "Thanks for everything you've done and are doing, you really are my bestie."

"I'll miss you captain, please be safe."

"You too Sephi."

We separated and then he was suddenly out of the tent. Before Ace could get ahold off me once more I danced out of his range and finished packing my things. Slinging my pack onto my back I looked to see that Ace's things were ready to go and he was just watching me. Grinning at him I then nodded my head to the door, signifying that we should go.

After many heartfelt good-byes and best wishes, Ace and I were walking once more to go and find Ace's skiff that he'd left tied up down at the docks at the base of the mountain. We walked in relatively comfortable silence on the way there and I was just thinking about everything that was soon to happen.

In my thinking Ace had managed to grab my hand in that time and lace our fingers together. I looked down at our tightly clasped hands and back up to him as he smiled at me. How did I seriously end up with him? Ace chuckled at my slightly confused expression and pulled me over to him. He wrapped his warm arm around my shoulders and I settled into him. Yeah, I'll admit it now, I love Portgas D. Ace.

We finally made it to his skiff and we must've sat there for a grand total of about five minutes just staring at the damn thing just trying to figure out how we were going to fit on it. However after a few minutes of deliberation we decided that I would sit in front as Ace would be behind me to power the skiff.

Clambering onto it I sat cross legged and waited patiently for the pyro-idiot to get us going. It took yet again a few more moments for Ace to make sure that he had everything before we started off. He steered us off the coast of the small town but only about ten feet out or so to avoid the really rough waters and try to find a break between them. As he finally found us a break and we were heading out I saw something flicker out of the corner of my eye.

Just as I turned my head to look, my eyes widened when a piece of slightly soggy paper smacked me straight in the face. My surprised scream was muffled by the disgusting item as I scrambled to remove it. I vaguely registered Ace's laugh at my predicament and when I removed the obstruction I turned around to give him what for. However my words died in my throat when I actually looked at the paper.

"Oi Sam, what's wrong!?" Ace called out over the wind.

"Luffy…" I muttered.

"What?!"

"I SAID LUFFY YOU DUMBASS!"

"Why, what's on the paper?!"

"Look for yourself, It's Luffy's first bounty!" I called out proudly.

Ace's eyes opened wide as he reached forward slightly and picked up the bounty. Getting a good look at it his face melted into a proud expression before he folded up the bounty and slipped it underneath his hat. He looked at me and I got a fond expression on my face too, our dumb little brother was finally making something of himself.

**Other Pov**

Kellin nervously made his way down the hallways of Blackbeard's ship. He didn't like this crew and it was evident that they didn't like him either. However he wasn't here because he liked the crew or the captain or even the ideals for that matter. No, Kellin was here because he had an obligation to his sister.

He loved her and as such he would look out for her. She'd been hurt so many times before and he was bound and determined not to let that happen any longer. It was just them now and that was the way it should be because they were the only ones the other could trust.

Shuffling further down the hallway with his head down the depressed pirate turned into his door and opened it. Shutting the door he sighed and walked over to his bed. Falling down face first into it he thought about Sam for the first time. She was a wonderful woman and Kellin couldn't help but feel something for her. He had no idea what yet but he knew that it was something more toward liking.

Of course that feeling went away as soon as he thought about Ace. That guy pissed him off and made him shit his pants all at the same time. Ace was a very skilled person even without the use of his devil fruit and with it he was pretty much an unbeatable monster. He had no wish to ever go against Ace again because he knew that the Commander would kill him outright not only for aiding in the death of a few crewmates but also since Kellin had personally attacked his wife and nearly killed her.

Sighing once more Kellin rolled over onto his back and just stared at the ceiling. There was no way that he would ever be able to even match up to Ace or Sam if he ever were to meet them in battle. If he did, they would most likely kill him before he raised a hand. "There's no way I'll ever be able to survive this next upcoming battle with them…" He muttered.

"Kffffm, you're right, you won't survive if you go up against Ace or Samantha with the way you are right now." A man said.

Kellin shot up into a sitting position, "Who the hell is here?"

A man amid his mid-twenties stepped out of the shadows he had been standing in. The man wore a white shirt and dark pants with a red ribbon wrapped around his upper arm. He didn't stand much taller than Kellin but the presence the orange-eyed, dark haired stranger gave off was enough to tell anyone that he was in charge, "My name is Check and I am on Baroque Work's third navy fleet under Captain Teague Rinaldi." The man replied smoothly.

"Why are you on a pirate ship then? Are you just stupid in the head?"

"No but my captain wants you to meet with him, now."

"Why?"

"Do not ask questions and come along."

Check turned on his heel and then exited the room. Kellin was contemplating staying right where he was but at the same time he didn't want to get mounted on a wall. He knew from what he'd picked up from around the crew that Teague was a very underhanded bastard. He did what he wanted and no one penalized him for it. Of course Teague also was known to have an overabundance of devil fruit users on his crew too.

Kellin finally got to his feet and followed Check out of the room. They took a few turns before the two came out onto the deck of the ship. There right next to the ship was a second one. Kellin gulped but continued forward none the less; he couldn't back down. Moving forward he saw Teague standing tall with his fearsome crew behind him. Check leapt off of Blackbeard's ship and onto his own, taking his place to the right of Teague.

"So you feel helpless right?" Teague asked in a gravelly voice.

"If I go into battle against either Ace or Sam I'm done for but… what can you do about it?"

"I can help you get back at them and take out my little problem with this," Teague pulled out a fruit, "I believe you know what this is?"

Kellin's breathing hitched, "Th-that's a devil fruit…"

"Yes Kellin, it is. If you agree to eat this and join my crew then I can guarantee that you'll be able to face those two in battle and be able to hold your own."

"But how can you just take me on? I'm a registered pirate and I have my own bounty!"

Teague smirked, "I can just as easily make that disappear and you can then join my crew. So what do you say, do you want this fruit or not?"

Kellin needed a moment to think.

**Sam's Pov**

"Ace I'm bored!" I sighed as we were still skimming over the waves. We had been on the ocean forever and so far there wasn't any indication of land anytime soon. In fact I was beginning to wonder if Ace's log pose was broken however mine was pointing in the exact same direction.

"Sam there isn't anything I can do." Ace sighed.

"Yes there is, your naturally stupid antics always amuse me, do something stupid."

"If I do something stupid then I'll fall off my skiff and drown. You do realize that neither of us can swim right?"

I scrunched my face up at the water, "Yeah… I guess you're right…" We were quiet for a bit and I just stared ahead until suddenly a thought popped into my head, "Ace?" I asked quietly.

"Yes?"

"Do you think we'll see Luffy sometime soon?"

"Maybe, I hope so."

We lapsed back into silence once more, "Ace?"

"Yes Sam?"

"I miss Luffy…"

"Are you alright today?"

I shrugged as I felt the skiff begin to slow, "I just… I don't know I feel… I miss him-no- I miss… everyone…"

I looked down and suddenly Ace gently gripped my chin between his warm fingers and made me look at him, "Are you sure it's that or are you sad to be leaving your crew behind?"

My eyes watered slightly, "I feel like I'm being a dead-beat captain for leaving them like this all over again. I never should have left them in the first place."

"You're doing what's best for them. Besides they know that you had to leave the first time otherwise you would have been killed!"

"I shouldn't have been beaten in the first place! But what makes the angriest is that I'm getting all mopey and 'poor me' over all of this when I shouldn't be!" I cried out.

Ace hugged me into his chest as the tears forced their way out of my eyes, "Sam, it's okay to cry. It's _human _to cry. No one will think less of you for caring so much about your nakama. It's natural to worry about the people you love, it means you care for them. You don't have to be strong all of the time, I'm not sure how many times I have to tell you this. No one will penalize you for depending on someone else from time to time."

"My father never did…"

"You're wrong."

I looked up at him, "Please, explain."

"Your father depends on his crew and he also depended on his belief that you and your mother were safe and sound. Those two things kept him going and kept him on track," Ace then wiped the tears from my eyes with his thumbs, "So don't worry. Besides I'm here to help you out just as you're here to help me out. We can work together to get both of our goal accomplished, this is what marriage is all about, is it not?"

I smiled at my idiot husband; sometimes he wasn't always as thick as I believed him to be, "I guess. Thank you Ace." I said before I leaned in and kissed him.

Ace responded back immediately as he moved his hands from either side of my face to the back of my head and my lower back. As the kiss began to get deeper like it always does I decided to nip it in the bud. I separated from Ace, "We can't do this here." I sighed.

Ace groaned, "Why the hell not?"

"Because if we get carried away, which we undoubtedly would, one of us could fall in the ocean and that would be the end of us."

"Oh… good point…"

Smiling at him I poked his nose as he wriggled it and then stood back into place and propelled the skiff forward once more. I yawned and curled up as best I could on the front, perhaps a few hours or so of sleep couldn't hurt. Besides, it wasn't like there was any land near us in any direction.

I first became conscious to the feeling of being carried. Ace's scent washed over my nose and I smiled before I snuggled my face further into his chest. The chuckle that rippled through Ace reverberated in the ear that was pressed against his chest and I whined slightly, he was making noise!

"Don't worry; we're almost at an inn where you can really rest." Ace said as he shifted me in his arms slightly. I nodded and just opened my eyes slightly to see the dusty roads and our bags slumped over one shoulder. The buildings were much the same and too close together which gave the place a very city feel to it.

"Where are we?" I asked tiredly.

"I believe the place is called Kreaghue Town."

"Oh… lovely."

"Just go back to sleep, you sound like you're half-dead."

"Meh." I muttered against his neck.

**Ace's Pov**

"Thank you." Ace said as he shifted a slumbering Sam in his arms to take the key that the inn owner was holding out.

The man chuckled, "You're quite welcome, your wife there seems to be exhausted."

"Yes we had a very long journey over here and she just couldn't keep her eyes open."

"You two look good together, reminds me of the days I had with my own wife."

Ace nodded, "Thank you very much however I should probably get up to the room and get her a place to rest comfortably."

"Yes I should say so, have a good day sir."

"You too."

Ace then began the long trek up the stairs and toward the room that he had just rented. Fumbling with the keys for a few moments, the second division commander was soon enough able to get the door open and then walk inside. Shutting it behind him with his foot Ace immediately went over to the bed and set Sam down on it. Afterwards he decided that he needed a shower.

Setting their bags down against the wall he then took one last look at Sam before disappearing into the bathroom. He began to run the water and was sitting there thinking as it began to warm up. However he didn't have to wait long before jumping in and sighing happily at the pressure the water exerted on his sore muscles.

Quickly washing his hair and body he then shut the water off and stepped out of the shower stall. Toweling off his hair and heating up the rest of his body he was dry but decided to just drape his towel around his waist since his shorts in the bathroom with him were filthy and his other clothes were out in the main room with Sam's bag.

Tossing his shorts into a corner Ace then walked out of the bathroom clad in only a towel and went to go find some clean clothes. Just as he stepped into the main room he stopped short when he ended up seeing Sam slip a silky nightdress over her. As if she felt a new presence to the room she turned around and smirked at him, "You know if I didn't know you better I'd think that you're trying to insinuate something." She said.

Ace was about to ask what she was talking about when he looked at what she was staring at and realized that he was still only clad in a towel. A low chuckle left his lips as he padded over to his wife, who was standing by his bag. "I would love to start something." He whispered in her ear, taking joy in the fact that she was shivering in pleasure of his voice.

"Hn. I doubt you could give me a good time."

"Want to find out?"

OKAY GUYS LEMON OR NOT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER?


	17. Chapter 17

I smirked at him, "Why not?"

Immediately Ace was on me as his mouth pressed to mine in a hot kiss. His hands wound themselves in my hair as I ran mine through his still drying locks. I absolutely loved the way that his skin seemed to spark something in my own. Ace's lips parted from mine as he began to trail sloppy kisses down my neck until he got to my collarbone.

He lightly bit down on my collarbone which elicited a pleasurable hiss from my lips as I arched into him. The Fire user chuckled and ran his tongue over the slightly cherry spot now vibrant against my pale skin. His hands began to detangle themselves from my hair and then went down to the straps that were tied to keep my top on. With just a single flick of his wrist it was off and across the room. "A-Ace!" I gasped.

**Ace's Pov**

Ace was completely over the moon at the moment. Finally after so long of her saying that it wasn't the right place or time here they were. It had been so long since he'd been this intimate with her but it seemed that his body still remembered just where to go to make the fiery redhead beneath him completely turn to jelly. The way she was panting and gently pulling on his hair made the commander nearly lose it and take her right then and there. However it was the first time in a long time that they'd been together and he wanted to make her remember just what she'd been missing since they parted. He wanted things to be pleasurable for her just like they were going to be for him.

His hands traveled down from her flowing crimson locks and began to pull on her top strings as he still played around with that little spot on her collar bone. Inwardly he was grinning to himself about how obedient she was being but he knew that she wasn't going to stay that way forever; it simply wasn't in her nature. "A-Ace!" she gasped as he pulled her top off and tossed it away with a flick of his wrist. He grinned once more and then decided that he'd tortured that collarbone spot long enough.

Trailing kisses across her collarbone he kissed in between them and then began to trail his searing lips down the middle of her chest. Deciding to take the right one first, Ace kissed all around it and teased her slightly. She whined and her slight grip on his hair tightened; a non-verbal signal for him to get on with it. Obliging the temporarily pacified woman below him he sat back for a moment to just savor the wonders of her body. The way her creamy, smooth skin stood out to him. He enjoyed the way she was blushing, especially the way her firm breasts were slightly jiggling due to her breathing being elevated.

With another breathless whine and a tug on his hair from his beautiful lover he then ducked closer and took one rosy nipple into his mouth. Her breath hitched as suddenly she arched up in pleasure. In the back of his mind Ace would be sure to rub it in later but for right now he just concentrated on giving his spicy lover the best time of her life. Swirling his hot tongue around the bud he then moved a hand to begin kneading her other breast so as not to leave it out.

The little chitters and approving moans that Sam gave off kept Ace going. Soon he removed his mouth from her right breast and then engulfed the left one as his hand and his mouth switched. "A-Ace!" She whimpered pleasurably. Ace chuckled before he popped her nipple out of his mouth and quickly kissed Sam again. She responded immediately and Ace then sucked on her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She easily gave it to him as he shot his tongue into her mouth and their tongues both began to fight for dominance.

However in the end Ace won and chuckled slightly at that, causing the vibrations to slightly tickle Sam. She broke off the kiss giggling and just as he was about to kiss her again her hands latched onto his shoulders while her knees gripped his hips. Sam grinned for a moment before flipping them over so that she was straddling him. Ace looked up at her and grinned slightly, "I'm enjoying this view." He said.

She smirked and leaned down toward him, her hair covering all around their faces, "I bet you are darling," She whispered gently into his ear before biting it lightly, "However, I think I'll take over now." She added before licking the shell of his ear and making Ace shiver as he felt the towel around his waist get slightly tighter.

"Do what you will." He moaned.

Sam laughed before kissing down his neck to the hollow of his throat. She began to softly kiss and lick there before she then bit at it lightly. Ace let out a long groan as she also began to run her hands down his chest and massage the muscles of his stomach. Sam giggled slightly before delving down further and began to kiss and nip at his chest. Ace gripped onto the bed sheets as his felt the fire begin to stir beneath his skin. Pushing up on her slightly he let it be known that he wasn't going to just sit there forever and take her teasing.

Grinning, the little vixen decided that it was time to get to what she was doing. She moved down to sit comfortably on his thighs and then snatched the towel off of his lower half. Immediately his flushed member sprang up and he found his face getting slightly red as he watched her take her pointer finger and press the pad to the tip of his dick; just directly on the slit. "Seems that you're a little excited, no?" She asked. She slightly twirled her finger on the spot, clear pre-cum sticking on her finger.

Ace just groaned and bucked his hips slightly; he just wanted her to touch him dammit! Sam chuckled and then slid her finger down his turgid cock from tip to base. He shivered at her touch and was about to just flip her over and take her; his patience was about shot. She moved her face closer to his heady flesh and placed a quick lick just over the head of his dick. Ace's breathing caught however when she began to lightly blow over the slightly damp area.

"Sam." He finally managed to get out. As much as he loved how she was he wouldn't be able to take much more of her teasing. The redhead huffed but none the less began to place long, hot licks all over his heated flesh. Ace groaned in pleasure as she then actually put her mouth to the tip and began to suck while one hand massaged what wouldn't fit into her mouth as the other toyed with his balls. Ace gripped onto the bed sheets harder and attempted not to scream out his pleasure at what his sexy wife was doing to him.

Sam deep throated him while pulling lightly on his balls. Then once she backed off to only have the head in her mouth she swirled her sinful tongue around him until he felt that he would just burst. "Sam!" He yelled she suddenly slid her tongue across his sensitive slit before going back down on his length and lightly using her teeth. He felt his balls tighten and he knew that he was about to blow. Just as he was about to be pushed off of that verbal peak Sam suddenly popped his dick out of her mouth and sat back up smirking at him.

All at once Ace felt like he wanted to cry and shove that mouth of hers back down on him. However he knew that if he dared try she would bite his dick off and then make him swallow it. Instead, the commander did the next best thing. He grabbed a hold of her and then flipped them over so that he was on top again. Ace grinned down at his woman before attacking her shorts and shoes. Tossing them off of her he then looked at the last remaining piece of obstructive clothing, her panties.

Ripping the last barrier off he then grinned as he pressed his thumb to her warm core and began to rub. Sam's eyes widened as a pleasured half-scream left her throat. Ace figured that she was absolutely enjoying the feeling since Sam was wriggling beneath him. A blush was now present on her face as he then decided to plunge two fingers deep inside of her. An inaudible scream of absolute pleasure came from Sam's mouth as she attempted to buck up into him. Ace, however, was having none of that as he pinned her hips down with his remaining hand.

Sam whined at him but he wasn't about to give into that. Grinning at her he then began to scissor and undulate his fingers inside of her. The sounds she was giving off now were just hardening Ace's throbbing dick further; he was about to end all of this foreplay. However before Ace did that he was going to have the last laugh. Leaning down he placed a long lick upon her cunt and he thought that his devil fruit user lover was about to pass out from the pleasure. Grinning he then began to place long, rough licks upon her and before long was delving his tongue inside of her, "A-Ace-ah-!" Sam moaned out breathlessly.

Ace could tell that he was bringing her to the edge just like she had. With a few more licks and rubs she was just there and he pulled away from her. Sam whined and gave him a breathless glare which looked absolutely adorable when accompanied with the blush on her face. Gently grasping her chin as he got over top of her once more he connected their lips. Without further ado Ace then positioned himself and lace his fingers with Sam's as he began to slide into her tight heat.

The hiss that Sam issued immediately made Ace stop and look over her, "Sam are you alright? Am I hurting you, do you want me to stop?" He asked worriedly. Sam's face was scrunched up in pain which made Ace stop immediately. He knew that she wasn't a virgin so this was puzzling to him.

"I-it's just… been a while… After you I-I wasn't… with another m-man… don't worry a-about me." She stuttered.

"Sam if it's hurting too much let me know and we can try later."

"No Ace just… give me a minute to adjust…"

"Okay, just let me know when you want me to move again."

Sam grimaced slightly as she nodded and Ace just couldn't help but lean down and catch her lips with his. He knew that this was hurting her greatly and part of him wanted to slide out of her since he was the cause of all of her pain but at the same time he knew that she wanted this just as much as he did. Ace was so into his thoughts that he blinked when Sam smacked him, "M-move." She whispered.

Ace didn't need to be told twice as he started up a steady and slow pace. As much as he trusted Sam's word he wasn't about to go all gung-ho right out of the gate. Besides Sam was so tight that Ace thought she might just cut off circulation to his buddy. Noticing the way she was still slightly stiff, Ace leaned forward and began to place little kisses all over here in an attempt to distract her from all of the pain that she was experiencing.

However soon enough she was beginning to adjust to his size as he saw her pained expressions fade away and he then was able to move a bit freer. Taking the opportunity he began to speed up a tiny bit which elicited pleasured moans from Sam. He grinned as she then latched onto his back, her nails beginning to leave marks in his back. "F-faster Ace!" She gasped.

Not one to disappoint his lady, the commander sped up as he wanted to make sure that she was completely satisfied. Ace was beginning to get into it as Sam began to buck her hips in time to meet with his. He then slid his arms underneath her and sat up to get a better angle. With this new approach, he was able to hit a new spot within her and Sam began to cry out in pleasure with his thrusts as he stifled his own moans by pressing kisses to the crook of her shoulder.

In that moment it seemed as though two beats were pulsing together. Ace pressed harder and faster or slower and shallower whenever Sam asked him to although he sometimes decided to just speed up on his own accord. However after all of the time of their passionate love making they were both getting close to their ends. Ace could feel the coil in his stomach tightening to almost a painful level and based on the moans and groans of Sam she was getting near her finale too.

Pulling out of Sam, Ace flipped her over onto all fours before entering her again. With this new angle he was able to hit all of the right spots. In no time he had her spasming around his length as he finally let go. A sigh of release left his lips and he waited with shaking legs for his body to be done. Pulling out of her the fire fist lay down on his back and pulled Sam with him so that she was resting into his side, her head on his shoulder.

Ace placed a kiss to his spent wife's forehead before pulling the covers over their sweating bodies. Wrapping his arms fully around her Ace then lay on his side and brought her as close to him as possible. Sam at this point was so out of it that she just cuddled right up to him without so much as a smart comment. Ace kissed her once more, "I love you Sam." He whispered.

"I love you too Ace." She slurred sleepily before closing her eyes and nodding off to sleep.

**Sam's Pov**

When I awoke in the morning I noticed that Ace was gone and the shower was running. However I also noticed a throbbing pain between my legs. Grimacing at it I rolled over onto my back and blushed as the memories of last night came back to me. Sure I was no virgin but Ace was a lot… smaller… when we had originally participated in such intimacy. Feeling the dried sweat and sex on me I scrunched my nose up and then stiffly sat up with the covers gathered around me.

Getting out of bed I limped across the room and then into the bathroom. Dropping the sheets on the floor I then made my way slowly over to the shower and slipped into it. Immediately Ace's arms were around me and pulling me into his chest, "Morning beautiful." He whispered before pressing his lips to mine in a kiss. All at once the familiar feeling of love started to burn in my chest as I kissed him back. Of course our kiss ended and I just ended up resting my head on his chest as he just held me; the water from the shower still drenching us both.

"Good morning." I mumbled.

"How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good but I'm still exhausted, and sore." I muttered the last part.

Ace winced, "I'm sorry Sam I swear I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's alright you didn't intentionally set out to hurt me. Besides I didn't feel it last night."

"Still I-."

Turning around I took his face in my hands and made him look at me, "Ace, it was my call and I don't regret anything. Besides it has been years since you and I had sex, you've obviously grown and I wasn't with any other men since you so you know what it was bound to happen this way."

His eyes softened as he looked at me, "You seriously weren't with anyone else?"

"No, I couldn't bring myself to."

He kissed me briefly, "I love you."

"I love you too."

After we washed one another and just enjoyed each other's company we decided that it was probably time to get out. Ace shut off the water as I stepped out and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around my soaked body I began to towel myself off. Turning around I saw that Ace was already dry and just shook my head, "You are so damn lucky that you never have to dry yourself off." I said as I quickly wrapped another towel around my hair.

Ace smirked as he picked me up and carried me back to our bed, which the sheets had been changed some time when we were in the shower. He set me down on the bed and then started to massage my feet for me. I sighed in relief, "Ace, why are you being so loving and helpful today? Did you do something that you know I'll get mad at you for?" I asked.

"No, can't I just show you how much I love you?"

"You can, I was just wondering what was up."

Ace chuckled as he finished giving me a foot rub and then tossed me my bag, "We'll be staying for another day just to make sure that you're completely alright to travel."

An irk mark appeared on my forehead, "I'm not weak you know, just cause I'm a bit uncomfortable doesn't mean that we need to slow down our progress."

"Sam I know that but I don't want you out there and be uncomfortable, especially since I caused this. Now just get dressed and rest, I'll be back with some food." With that Ace then left.

Glaring at the door which he just walked out of I sighed and proceeded to get dressed. I didn't want to stay here and rest, in fact I wanted to be anywhere but here. Deciding to do what I usually do, which was ignoring Ace, I got up. Packing my stuff I slumped my bag by his and walked out of the door. Knowing him he'd forget that I was up in the room as soon as he got a whiff of food.

Moving down the stairs I looked to see Ace stuffing his face like usual and sighed; yup, he forgot. Bypassing that room I exited the inn and decided to have a look around town. Like I remembered the road was dusty and made of clay or sand and the buildings were much the same and much too close. However the shops lining the streets were pretty interesting. Browsing through the stall I smiled at the people who decided to say hello to me. This town, as boring as it was, had some nice people.

As I walked around I heard a commotion just up ahead. Pushing through the crowd I came out into the open and saw Hawk eyes Mihawk standing calmly above a pirate that was panting and struggling to stand. Blood was everywhere and I felt the familiar tug at my fingers. However I wasn't stupid; I knew who Mihawk was and I wasn't about to get in the middle of his fight. The pirate on the ground went to stab at Mihawk once again but Mihawk just simply stabbed the man in the heart and it was over as quick as that.

The crowd rapidly dispersed and Mihawk turned to see me. Under his gaze I felt as if my limbs turned to stone. His face was as devoid of emotion as always but in his face I saw Meister as well; it was actually pretty crazy the resemblance of facial features the two shared. "It has been a while Sam." Mihawk said simply.

A shiver of slight fear raced down my spine, "That it has… Mihawk."

"I take it my son is well."

"He still can't stand the mention of you, how is his mother?"

"Annalisa is good, she just had our second child."

I blinked in surprise at Mihawk, "So Meister is an older brother?"

"In a way, yes."

"Frankly I'm surprised Annalisa would even go near you after what you did to Meister."

"She knows he is in capable hands."

I shook my head, "You make my dad look like a saint."

Mihawk let out a low chuckle that I barely caught and suddenly there was a knife at my throat, "Your father is anything but a saint. However give my son his mother's regards. She wishes for him to come home and see her sometime."

I kept my face neutral even though I was freaking.

"I shall pass on the message to him when I get the chance, by the way, son or daughter?"

"Daughter."

I smirked slightly, "I pity her when she gets older."

Mihawk said nothing as he simply dug the knife in slightly to my neck, enough to draw a miniscule amount of blood before something in his unnerving yellow eyes changed. Slowly he retracted his knife and put it back before turning away from me and walking off without another word. I stood there watching Mihawk until he was out of sight before I allowed my nerves to return.

My already weakened legs were shaking as I collapsed down onto them and just sat there in the road with a slight tremble. There was no doubt that Mihawk was beyond scary. In fact I felt as though I just wanted to crawl into a dark place and stay there. He was close, so close to just chopping my head off, hell he used to spar with my father and be on par with him. If… if he'd decided to fight me then… there was no way that I'd survive. I was in no way on par with either him or my dad.

Taking a moment to recollect my shattered nerves I took a deep breath and then got back up onto my feet. Just as I was about to stumble away an old woman came hobbling over to me and gently took my arm, "Come over here and let me fix you up, you poor thing." She said. Wordlessly I allowed her to pull me over to what I guessed was her stall and sit me down on one of the crates.

She wiped the blood away from my neck and then within a few moments she put some salve on the small cut which started to burn. I hissed in pain but allowed her to do what she was, as long as there were no needles involved I would be alright. Finally she put a small bandage on it and handed me some water, "Drink up dearie, you look like you're parched." She said.

"Thank-you." I murmured.

"It is no problem and here take these pills as well, it will help with the other pain. However just take one and save the rest." She said while producing a bottle of pills

I looked at her with wide eyes as she handed it to me, "How did you-?"

"Take one of those pills after every romp you and your hot headed husband decide to have. Child there is much you do not know about me."

"Obviously, we just met and… thank you?"

The old woman proceeded to just laugh heartily, "You're very welcome, trust me those pills will be a life saver for you. Though apparently Shanks has never mentioned me. Of course that lazy boy wouldn't."

"Uh… I don't follow…"

The old woman just flapped a hand at me, "Don't worry yourself about it and take that pill already! Geez you are just like him, never doing what you're told by your elders."

Rolling my eyes I downed the pill and then took a sip from the water that the woman handed to me, "There, happy now?"

"Yes I am, oh and here is your lovely husband to collect you."

I turned around with wide eyes to see a not so amused Ace standing there. In fact he was actually slightly flaming.

A nervous chuckle came to my lips, "Now Ace… I know you're mad and all but before you blow your proverbial lid, I didn't do anything."

"Oh and I guess you're all bandaged up and taking medicine for the hell of it?"

"Wait… why the hell am I explaining myself to you?"

"Because you know that you're in the wrong, now what the hell happened?"

"Nothing, Mihawk and I just had a talk."

"Just a talk?! Do you realize that you could've gotten yourself killed?"

"He wouldn't dare, he knows that he and my father wouldn't be on very good terms also Meister and Sephi along with the rest of my crew would go after him and his family. He has a newborn daughter I hope you know."

"Wait a minute… Mihawk actually has a family?"

"Duh, Meister and their new daughter are his children. Have you forgotten everything I told you?"

Ace sighed before he thanked the mysterious old woman and scooped me up into his arms. I whined in protest but with a quick jostle from Ace I fell silent. He walked back to the inn with me over his shoulder and I waved to the inn owner as Ace began to climb the stairs. The inn owner just waved back at me as he stared after us with wonder.

My annoyed husband kicked open the door and then tossed me down on the bed as he slammed the door shut with his foot. Bouncing slightly on the bed from the force of me being dropped on it I rolled my eyes at Ace. "You know… I think you need to take some happy pills, all of this anger is probably gonna get to you before long." I said offhandedly.

"You're the one causing all of my anger issues!" He shouted. I once again rolled my eyes at him and then stood up. As soon as I did however Ace stopped shouting and looked at me weirdly, "Weren't you limping earlier?" he asked curiously.

"The old woman gave me some kind of medicine that took it away."

"Did she give you anymore?"

"She gave me an entire bottle, why?" I asked suspiciously.

Ace's lips were immediately on mine, "You're going to be needing those when I'm done with you." He said huskily.

I grinned and kissed him back, "I am, am I?"

"Hell yes."

**Shank's Pov**

Shanks sighed as he finally docked back in his hometown of Kirioko. He didn't want to be here but he figured that his mother deserved to know what happened to her daughter-in-law. "Men go and enjoy yourselves for the day and be ready to leave by tomorrow." Shanks said as he exited his ship. The entire crew gave a hearty cheer and rushed off the ship.

Walking through the town gave Shanks fond memories of his childhood, particularly the times he had shared with Sylvia. Oh how he missed her. He missed the way Sylvia would always chastise him for using bad language around Sam before she was even born or the way Sylvia would make him his favorite meal when he would come back to Ruby Island. Of course he would never forget the days he and Sylvia had just made their marriage official and came to tell his mother about it.

"_Shanks… I'm worried, what if she doesn't like me?" Sylvia asked nervously._

_Shanks smiled at his wife lovingly, "She'd be crazy not to like you, besides at least she'll get her wish of red headed grandchildren." Sylvia blushed and smacked her newlywed husband on the arm. "Ouch! Sylvia that hurt!"_

"_Oh stop being such a baby! You know that didn't hurt."_

"_Okay you got me, it really didn't hurt at all but you've wounded my everlasting soul!"_

"_Enough with the theatrics."_

_Shanks looked down to see that Sylvia was truly worried. Her delicate features held a look of worry and that wasn't okay with Shanks. He stopped and gently took her face in his hands, "Don't be nervous, my mother will love you. She'll have no choice but to love you because you're the most wonderful woman I've ever known. You're kind, smart, and beautiful; three things my mother always said I should look for in a woman." He finished his little heartfelt speech with a kiss upon her lips. _

_Of course he hoped that was the case since his mother never really liked any of the women he had brought to meet her before. In fact this was why Shanks hadn't taken Sylvia to meet his mother when they truly began to get serious; he didn't want her to get chased off by his mother as well. _

"_This is why I love you." She whispered on his lips as her eyelashes fluttered slightly._

_ Shanks was going to kiss her again when suddenly a door slammed open and he was yanked into a house, taking Sylvia with him. Sylvia shrieked in surprise at the sudden movement and Shanks held onto her tightly as he landed on his back but then they ended up turning and he accidentally landed on Sylvia, crushing her slightly on the floor. "Stop kissing your whore in the streets, it's disgraceful!" Ariana Le Roux snarled at her son. _

_ Shanks however wasn't paying the least bit of attention to his rabid mother. In fact he was worriedly asking Sylvia if she was alright and that if the baby was alright as well. Sylvia of course was saying that she was alright and that her stomach wasn't crushed in the impact and also that the baby was still pretty much just an embryo at this stage. Once Shanks was completely sure that she was alright he turned to his mother with fire in his eyes. _

_ The angered pirate strode straight up to his brown haired mother and towered over the tiny woman, "Do you have _any _idea of what you could've done?" He yelled back. Ariana looked at her son with narrowed eyes before she punched him over the head, hard._

"_Do not talk back to your elders in such a disgraceful manner!"_

"_Mother, Sylvia is pregnant with our child-your grandchild- and you could've seriously hurt her!"_

"_Hmph, I don't approve of her. She is nothing like the sort of woman I told you to marry, just look at that homely appearance! And look at those rags she must've fashioned into a dress!"_

_Sylvia looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment as she put her head down to allow her hair to hide her face._

"_And _just look _at that hair!"_

"_ENOUGH!"_

_Immediately both Shanks and Ariana looked over at Sylvia glared at Ariana with a red face of anger, "I don't care _what _you think of me because your son and I are already married and are going to have this child! He loves me for me and if you don't like that they all I can say is shove it you old hag! For the record my clothes _were _handmade from lovely fabrics made by my late mother's hand and I love them and also, _you're _just jealous that you don't have hair as red as this so SHUT THE HELL UP, THANK YOU!"_

_ By the end of her tirade, Sylvia was breathing hard and her hands were clenched tightly. However as if she realize what she had just said her hand flew to cover her mouth. She uttered a lowly 'I'm sorry' and quickly ran out of the house. Shanks was too shocked to go after her for a moment before he started toward the door after her. _

"_That girl…" Ariana began._

"_Don't even start mother, you have just crushed the woman I loved, I hope your happy!"_

"_We must go find her."_

"_And-wait, what?"_

"_She is a good woman."_

_Shanks looked at his mother strangely, "Are you bi-polar?"_

_Immediately Ariana hit her son over the head again, "Shush you! She's has passed my test!"_

"_What test?" Shanks asked through the pain he was experiencing. _

"_Every other woman you have brought home has always sat there and taken my barbed comments without ever defending themselves. They were spinless and weak and unfit to be married to you. This woman however… she had the guts to stand up for herself and do what the others could not; she has earned my respect for that."_

_ Shanks was speechless but none the less tore out of the house to go look for his wife and unborn child. Racing through the streets he made it back to the ship in record time. Stepping onto the vessel his crew looked at him with pain-stricken faces as Yasopp came over to him, "If you're looking for Sylvia she's in your quarters crying her eyes out." He said. _

_ Pain lanced through Shank's heart as he put a hand on his nakama, "Thank you." He said before starting to walk back to where his crying wife was. However he was also aware of his mother starting to follow him. He turned around to face his mother, "You stay out here, if she sees you then she will never come out of our room." _

_Ariana nodded, "I will wait here." She agreed and stepped back out onto the main deck. _

_ Shanks entered into the room to see Sylvia crying on their bed. Pain stabbed him through like one of Mihawk's swords. Making his way over to her he just put his arms around her and hugged the love of his life close. She sniffled and buried her head into the crook of his neck, "Sh-she doesn't l-like me! I'm so s-sorry Shanks!" She sobbed. _

"_You have nothing to apologize for and she doesn't hate you."_

"_Y-yes she does! Did you not hear all of those mean things she said?"_

"_She was just testing you to see if you were as spinless as some of the other women I've brought home before. You passed her test and she want to apologize. I promise you that if after you hear her out that you never want to come back ever again I won't make you."_

_Sylvia looked up from Shanks's shoulder with her watery blue eyes, "I… okay…" She whispered. _

_Shanks smiled and kissed her passionately on the lips. Sylvia kissed back and his hand slid behind her head to apply a bit more pressure to the kiss. However he eventually ended it with an eskimo kiss, "Come on, the dragon awaits us." He chuckled. _

_ Pulling Sylvia up onto her feet Shanks picked her up and then began to walk out of their quarters. Just before they got onto the deck however Sylvia stated that she wanted to be let down because she would not let him carry her out there as if she was too weak to go out there herself. As much as Shanks didn't want to let her down he knew that he needed to, for her sake. _

_ Placing Sylvia down on her feet he watched amazed as she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, lifted her head, and then then walked out onto the deck as if she was the most important person on the ship. She headed straight for Ariana and Shanks followed closely behind Sylvia, the pride he had in his wife through the roof. _

_ Sylvia stopped just in front of Ariana and stared at his mother coldly. For a bit Sylvia said nothing as she waited for Ariana to say something, anything. Eventually though, she did. Immediately Ariana slightly bowed her head, "I am sincerely sorry for everything I said. I did not mean a word of it, I was merely trying to test you to see if you were right for my son." She said. _

_In the next moment Sylvia reached out and smacked Ariana straight across the face, "You disgraced something of my late mother's and insulted my very being," Shanks was about to step in when Sylvia gave him a piercing glare (one Sam would later inherit), "With that being said… I forgive you." As if to emphasize her point of good feelings, Sylvia hugged Ariana. _

_Shanks felt a few years shaved off of his life as he sighed. Oh well, at least the two most important women in his life were now on good terms. _

"Shanks, is that you?" The now old Ariana asked in her weathered voice.

"Yeah mom, it's me."

Ariana was cleaning up her stall as she put all of her wares away for the day, "What brings you home? I haven't seen much of you since you came to show me my granddaughter."

"I… I have some bad news…"

"Let me guess, Sylvia is dead?"

Shanks's blood ran cold, "How did you?"

Ariana whipped around and like old times punched her son on the head, "Have you honestly forgotten that I am more aware than you think?! Of course I would know that my daughter-in-law died!" Ariana then hugged her son tightly, "I have mourned her passing every day since I have found out."

"I miss her mom…" Shanks choked out.

"Your daughter is just like her, she has the same spirit in her as Sylvia and of course our good looks. She's grown into a very beautiful woman. The way she acts with her own husband reminds me of what you and Sylvia were like."

Shanks looked at his mother excitedly, "You've met Sam recently?!"

"Of course you dolt! She's staying here," Ariana let go of her son and then smacked him again, "And _why _does she not know who I am? Have you not reminded her just _who _her grandmother is?!"

"She and I… we aren't on good terms…"

"What have you done idiot son of mine?"

Shanks glared at his mother, even in old age she had a barbed tongue, "I was being pursued by the world government for a while and stayed away from Ruby Island so that Sam and Sylvia wouldn't fall into their hands. During that time Teague Rinaldi took over Ruby Island, killed Sylvia, and intended to make Sam a part of his crew or kill her if she continued to refuse. He even forced her to eat a devil fruit. Well… now Sam blames me for the death of Sylvia and honestly… I don't blame her-."

"Enough, you are one person. You cannot be in a million places at once no matter how much you wish it. You are human and you will always be human," Ariana stood up, "Now if you're done feeling sorry for yourself you can come along with me and help me make dinner, we're having your favorite tonight. Then tomorrow morning _you will _go and talk to your daughter about all of this. I know for a fact that Sylvia would never have tolerated you two being at each other's throats."

Shanks felt as though he was six years old again as his mother drug him along and started ordering him about to do impossible tasks. If his mother was correct in Sam being almost exactly like her mother then he would have his work cut out for him. It seemed as though Sam inherited her mother's looks and wicked temper but nothing of her laid back side. In fact if you wanted to get down to it, Sam was a mix of his mother's temper, Sylvia's slight temper and looks, and perhaps she got her red hair from him. Either way… he had a long day ahead of him tomorrow.


	18. Chapter 18

**Sam's Pov**

Yawning I opened my eyes to the light filtering into the room. Moving my head slightly in my just awoken daze I scrunched up my face in disgust at the realization that I had been drooling on Ace's bicep. Moving my head slightly I just sniffed and curled back into my warm husband. After a while though I realized that I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. Sighing I got up and decided to go take a shower since I was pretty grimy.

On my way there I took a pill and then went into the shower. Turning on the water full blast I then entered into the shower and sighed pleasurably at the feeling of the hot water beating against me. Massaging my shoulders I leaned my head back into the spray and closed my eyes.

However just as I was going to turn and begin to wash my hair hands were already massaging shampoo into my scalp. Pleasurable tingles raced down my body and I leaned back into my lover's touch. He put his mouth to my neck and kissed it, "Good morning beautiful." He whispered while washing my body.

I smiled back at him and kissed him on the mouth, "Morning my love."

Ace smirked before he began to kiss me passionately as his hands began to roam my body. I locked my hands behind his neck and it seemed as though the temperature was beginning to elevate again. While I had no idea if it was just my own or because of Ace, I wasn't really caring.

Without warning Ace gently pinned me against the tile wall of the shower. I gasped as the cold began to leech into my warm skin and I grasped at his back as he continued kissing me. Sliding his hands under my thighs he then lifted me up so that I could wrap my hands around his waist. Locking my ankles together we were just about to get into it when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Ignore it, please just ignore it." Ace groaned into my neck.

"We can't, the help doesn't really knock."

A snarl left Ace's lips as he slammed the water off and removed my legs from his waist. I placed a loving kiss on his lips before grabbing up a towel and covering myself up. Walking out of the bathroom I tied up my hair and slid on a pair of loose shorts and a baggy t-shirt.

Just as I was walking into the main room I stopped when I noticed none other than my father standing there sheepishly in the doorway. "Honestly father, sheepishness doesn't suit you very well." I said. Dad grinned as he walked in and sat down on the bed while a slightly blushing, towel-clad Ace went to go get changed.

"What do you want father?"

"We need to talk about what happened all of those years ago when I wasn't around."

I looked at him unamused, "Why? We don't have anything to talk about."

"Actually I think we do; besides your grandmother with hack me into bits if I don't at least try to talk to you."

"Grandmother?"

"Yes, the old woman you apparently ran into yesterday."

"No fucking way was that woman my grandmother."

Shanks grinned, "Where do you think you inherited your temper from?"

"Fine, I'll listen for a few minutes. Speak." I hissed.

So I sat there while dad explained the events off the years he'd been away. Ace at some point entered back into the room and stood by me, rubbing a comforting and supportive hand over my arms as I slightly leaned into him. However soon enough dad finished with his story and I just sat there, processing everything that I'd been told.

I couldn't wrap my mind around him actually not blowing me and mom off but… it didn't change the fact that he wasn't there. While I guess I could say that I understood what he was telling me and he did it for a good reason, bad things still happened. My mother still died and I was still made a slave.

"I… understand what you're saying… I really do. However… I just… it's going to take time." I said, measuring my words. Ace shook me slightly when he heard what I was saying but I shrugged him off. Dad looked crushed at my words but he nodded to me as he realized that I at least wasn't going to kill him upon sight anymore. An awkward air hung over the entire room before I sighed and got up. Walking over to him I stood there in front of him and just looked at him.

"Sam-."

Taking a chance I threw my arms around him and actually hugged him for the first time I could remember. For a moment dad tensed up before wrapping his arms back around me, "Deep down I do care about you dad… I just… I think about everything that's happened and… it's going to be hard to forget. For so long I needed you and you weren't there but now… I don't need you as much and it's like you have decided that you want to get close. It… it just rubs me wrong…" I said quietly. Shanks just held me tighter and I smiled slightly before patting his back and stepping away. "Now, I think it's high time that Ace and I continued on toward our goals."

"I must confess that coming to see you was only four-fifths of the reason. The other part of it was to warn Ace against his plight."

Ace was now at full attention, "What do you mean Shanks?"

"Blackbeard was the one who gave me these scars on my face. If you don't abandon this… you may just die."

"No, not only did Blackbeard kill Thatch but he also allied himself with Kellin who attempted to kill Sam and actually managed to kill my nakama Valerie; he deserves to die."

"I'm warning you, nothing good will come of this. If you go after Blackbeard you're going to get yourself and anyone else around you killed; incidentally my daughter."

Ace got to his feet, "It was Sam's choice to come with me because Blackbeard is also allied with Teague who has put Sam through a lot of suffering! I don't like that she's coming along either but I don't have a choice in the matter, she's going to do what she does and I won't be able to stop her!"

Shanks chuckled, "I know, she's just like her mother. She sets her mind on something and that's that. There won't be any stopping her and you just have to go with it."

"Hey!" I cut in.

Shanks then stood up and donned his cape, "Well… I guess I should be getting along. Told the crew I'd be back about an hour or two ago."

"I can't say that is a shocker, you're never on time."

"Dahahahaha! Yeah that's true," His face suddenly got serious, "Both of you be careful. Ace, you're in charge of the welfare of my daughter so if she dies then I'll kill you. Sam, be smart and stay on your toes around Blackbeard."

"I know dad, I'm not going to get myself killed."

Shanks grinned as he rustled my hair and walked out of the room. As soon as Shanks was out of the room Ace was all over me. I smacked into the wall from the force he exerted on me as he started attacking my neck and littering it with kisses. "Acceeeeeee…. Nooo! We have to get goooinngggg!" I moaned.

"Why? I think we can expend a few… hours…" He said huskily while going back to kissing my neck while his hands began to trail down my body. Breaking away from him I ducked out of his arms and quickly raced over to the bed and rolled to the other side. Landing on my feet I put my hands down on the bed and watched Ace as he stood on the other side of the bed with his bedroom eyes.

"No Ace, we need to leave and besides if we keep up the regime then I'm going to run out of all of those pills my… grandmother… gave me before we even get off of this island." I said. Ace looked at me and sighed before nodding to me and flopping down on the bed. Wearily I walked around and just as I was about to get free of his range, my lovely fiery husband shot up and grabbed onto me.

I shrieked as I was pulled down with him on the bed but instead of starting something sexual he just snuggled his head into my neck and closed his eyes. Smiling fondly of my idiot husband I stroked his hair gently and cuddled him into me. Perhaps just a small nap couldn't hurt.

**Sephi's Pov**

Sephi sighed as he steered the Candy Zephyr toward the Moby Dick and Whitebeard. As much as he wished he could be backing up Sam he saw her reason and knew that it was just. Still it made his blood boil to know that she was out there in danger no doubt and yet he and Meister were once again left behind. He swore the last time that when they had to part from Sam that when they met up again they'd never leave each other again. He still shuddered upon remembering that day.

"_Meister please just hurry up with her!" Sephi hissed quietly. Behind them they heard all of the screaming and confusion of their murderous crew behind them. In fact Sephi could hear the screams of Cassie as well a few of her rat-pack followers. _

_Meister was carrying a wheezing Sam in his arms as he hurried through the undergrowth. Of course he was being careful with their ex-captain since she was in a dire condition but also it was very dark and they were going off the beaten path. He didn't want to drop his dear friend and he certainly wasn't about to trip over something. "Hurry!" Sephi hissed once more as his keen ears picked up the sounds of footsteps. _

"_If you don't want me to drop her then shut the hell up." Meister finally managed out as he gently put a hand over Sam's mouth as she started groaning in pain. "Shhh, Sammy. I know you're in pain but just bear with me. We're almost there and then I can help you." Meister whispered soothingly as he picked up his pace and went as fast as he dared. _

_Eventually the two got to the bluff that the crew had passed by earlier in the day and then took a sharp left. They made it to a small path that began to lead lower upon the bluffs. Finally after following the thin path for a few feet the two and their incapacitated friend arrived at a small cropping that was lower down on the bluffs almost level with the sea. "Alright, lay her down and I'll give her these herbs to help with her reaction." Sephi said. _

_Meister was quick to put Sam down carefully and then hold her mouth open so that Sephi could get the medicine into their delirious ex-captain. She groaned once again and Sephi and Meister crowded around a bit closer in fear. They didn't want their closest female friend to die here because they knew that she had a score to settle and would never forgive herself if she died before it was accomplished. _

"_We need to get her out of here." Meister whispered urgently._

"_Where do you suggest we send her and with whom? Because I can tell you that we were ordered by Sam to keep tabs on the crew should she lose the fight and we don't have anyone to send her with."_

"_Then send her with me." A new voice spoke up. _

_Meister and Sephi whipped around to see none other than Mihawk. Immediately Meister bristled, "What the hell are you doing here you bastard?" He hissed. _

_Mihawk just kept a stony face, "I am on okay terms with her father. Give the girl to me because she needs medicine."_

"_I wouldn't send her with you for the world." _

"_Meister wait… Mihawk is our best chance at getting Sam out of here alive. I know you don't want to do that but we need to think about Sam's wellbeing above your own personal grudges." Sephi said. _

"_No! I will not send her out there with him!"_

_Immediately Sephi smacked his best friend and then pushed his head down in a respectful manner, "Please Mihawk, take Sam and head out to the nearest place of residency to help her." Sephi said. _

_ Meister sounded like he was starting to protest when Sephi gripped his hair hard and shook his head like a ragdoll to shut him the hell up. It worked since Meister was completely quiet and it seemed that Mihawk was going to do it because when Sephi looked up both Mihawk and Sam were gone. Immediately Meister broke away from Sephi and punched him straight in the face, "YOU IDIOT!"_

_ Sephi hit the edge of the outcropping and screamed in pain before he was submerged by the waves. Water filled everywhere and then Sephi's head broke the surface and he quickly filled his lungs with air. "What the hell was that for?" Sephi hissed as he glared at Meister. _

"_You just left Sam… with a fucking murderer and a person who has _no _regard for human life in general!"_

"_Mihawk is our best chance and you know it so shut the hell up!"_

"_You shut up! You don't know my father like I do!"_

"_You're right but at this moment we need Sam to survive, not die here. Her best chance was with Mihawk okay so get over your petty differences with him. Shanks would kill Mihawk if any harm came to his daughter while she was in Mihawk's possession."_

"_If you're wrong then I'll kill you in retaliation and then go after Mihawk myself."_

"_I won't stop you if that happens."_

_ Sephi kept Meister's unnerving glare and realized that Meister's glare was one thing he had inherited from Mihawk. Of course never would he tell Meister this but it was noted. Meister then nodded and turned around. Inside Sephi was exhaling his pent up breath. Meister was really unnerving when he wanted to be. "We'd better get back to them." Meister then said gruffly. _

_ Without further ado the two began to pick their way to the top of the cliff but Sephi was quick to wipe some of his blood on Meister and get him dirty to match him since he looked like he was put through a blender. Just as Sephi and Meister stumbled to the top of the bluff and saw the angry crew standing there glaring at them. "Where did they go?" Cassie snarled as she stood in front of the crew. _

"_W-we did everything we could… She attacked us… even in her condition she managed to overpower us and escape..." Sephi panted and wheezed while he put on his best actor's cap. _

_Cassie's face softened as she went and put a hand on Sephi's face, "I can see that you two tried your best. Still, we need to go and find her."_

"_No, you are captain now. There is no need to chase loose ends."_

"_But Sephi-!"_

"_Darling… please just realize this," He placed a hand on her face while Meister almost puked in the background, "_You _are captain now sweetheart, there isn't anything that is more important than celebrating your come to power." Sephi whispered in her ear. _

_ Cassie's legs turned to jelly as she fell into his chest and Sephi just rolled his eyes as he picked her up. Sephi turned and then nodded to Meister to lead everyone away before he went back to acting like he liked the bitch in front of him. _

Snapping back into reality Sephi looked up and noticed that they had finally come up to the Moby Dick. Already Marco and Whitebeard were glaring down at them as Izo jumped onto board and was telling them that if they didn't state their business that they'd be attacked. Seemed that it was Sephi's time to shine.

"We're here under the orders of Captain Portgas D. Sam, she said we are to join your crew." Sephi said.

Izo looked at them surprised, "You're here to join us under Sam's orders?"

"Yes, is there a problem pretty boy?"

Izo gained a very dangerous smile, "Of course…not… come with me-?"

"Sephi, now please just get along with it you strange cross-dresser."

Izo looked like he was going to kill Sephi but at the moment he seemed to get over it as he motioned for them to follow him. Sephi ordered the rest of the crew, with the exception of Meister, to stay on the boat. The two followed Izo up onto the Moby Dick and up the stairs to where Whitebeard was sitting. Sephi actually felt a little woozy when he had to look up at Whitebeard. This man was completely enormous and that alone made Sephi afraid to say the wrong thing.

"Captain these two idiots here say they're here to join our crew under the orders of Sam." Izo said before he left them alone with Whitebeard. For a few moments Whitebeard said nothing as he just scrutinized the two in front of him for a moment. Meister, used to such looks when his father would give them to him just stood there calmly as ever. Sephi however was squirming under the gaze of such a powerful man. He didn't like the look he was receiving but at the same time he knew that he would just have to suck it up and deal with it.

"So Miss Sam sent you did she?" Whitebeard asked finally.

"Yes she did, in fact she told us specifically to go to your crew and join." Meister answered since Sephi seemed to lose his voice.

Whitebeard said nothing for the longest time before he began to laugh heartily, "Well then, welcome my children!"

Sephi sighed as he and Meister went to go and get the rest of the crew to meet their new crew. He had to say as much as he wanted to go and help Sam out, perhaps he could help out in a different way by being here and relaying all of the information he found on Teague to her. Either way he hoped he'd get to see Sam again.


	19. Chapter 19

**Ace Chapter 18**

**Sam's Pov**

"Are you sure that we're going the right way?" I asked as I looked at the map.

"You're the one with the map smart one."

"Shut up pyro-idiot!"

"Well, are we on our way to Drum Island or not?"

"I'm going to guess we are!"

"Well, we should know in a few hours, if not then I guess we're lost."

"Gah! Why the hell do I put up with you?"

"Because you love what's in my pants."

"Nah, there are undoubtedly more impressive out there than you. I settled…"

Ace immediately stopped the skiff, "Hey!"

I deadpanned, "Sorry…"

Ace glared before starting up the skiff again. I turned back to the map while mister flame-head sulked in back. For a while I studied the map and my log pose before I was absolutely sure that we were indeed on our way to drum island. However looking ahead I noticed that we were headed for some painful looking rocks jutting out of the ocean. "Hey Ace, unless you're not seeing this, get us around those horrible rocks." I said. However when I got no sound of acknowledgement from him I turned around. My eyes got to the size of dinner plates; the idiot was sound asleep!

Leaping up I was careful to grab onto the mast and swing myself over the flames so that I was right behind Ace but wasn't about to be burned to a crisp. "Wake up right now Portgas D. Ace!" I yelled in his ear.

Nothing.

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up right this minute!" I screamed at the top of my lungs while slapping him across the face repeatedly. Unfortunately that still didn't wake him up. Glaring up ahead against the sun revealed that I would need to think fast. Luckily an idea came to me.

Jumping up and curling my body onto his like a monkey or something I banked a hard left and swung us around the first rock. Straightening us out, I managed to avoid the next two rocks without much issue before finally we were getting into the tighter spaces. Sliding down to where I was standing on the very edge near the licking flames I gripped his shoulders tightly and took a deep breath because this was going to get technical.

Leaning left and right it almost seemed like I was doing some funky dance as I weaved us in and out of the rocks. I had no idea of how hard I was biting my lips in concentration until I felt blood dribbling down my chin. With one final turn I was able to get us out of the thicket and I smiled, we were home free. My mistake for allowing my guard to be down.

There was a scraping noise which was all I had time to register before I was thrown from the skiff. A scream of terror escaped my throat as I was headed to the water. "Sam!" Ace cried out as he leapt for me; stopping the skiff completely. However his hand just brushed mine before I was plunged into the sea. Salty water flooded around me, feeling my eyes, ears, and open mouth. The tang of salt burned my tongue as my lungs screamed for air. I attempted to swim up toward the glimmering surface but that was beyond my abilities. It was apparent that I was going to die here, surrounded by water.

Above me I think I registered screaming but I wasn't sure. There was a shadow on the very edge of the surface and then my vision blurred as my lungs burned. All of the oxygen escaped my lungs in miniscule bubbles; yup, this was it. Closing my eyes I felt my world blurring away. _I can't believe it ends like this… I'm sorry mom…_

Opening my eyes I noticed a metal ceiling. Everything on me ached like no one's business and I felt as though I wanted to just keel over and puke up my guts. I had no idea if this was heaven, hell, or something in between but at the moment I was just too discombobulated to even contemplate the options deeply. My body felt drained worse than when I would spend all day training with Luffy and Ace. _Ace…_

Hearing a sob I looked over to see Ace clutching my hand tightly. His shoulders were hunched and he was pressing my hand to his face as well. My heart broke to see him upset over me. Twitching my hand slightly he looked up to see me gazing at him sadly. His eyes immediately widened and he tackled me into a hug, "Sam!"

"Ack!-Ace let me breathe!" I screeched.

"Mister Ace I would appreciate it if you would not kill my patient by the means of asphyxiation." A new voice dawdled out.

Ace let go and I saw a very strange-looking man. He was lanky and his skin was the color of caramel. Dark shadows resided under his eyes which suggested that sleep wasn't something this man practiced regularly; of course that fluffy spotted hat he donned didn't help ease the harsh shadows. A pearl grin graced his features while dark cobalt eyes watched the scene in front of him. The bright yellow and black hoodie bore his Jolly Rodger and his spotted blue jeans matched his hat; resting on his shoulders was a huge sword.  
However this man wasn't entirely a stranger. Oh no, I knew him quite well from my earlier travels. His name was Trafalgar Law, the Surgeon of Death. He was an amazing doctor and quite a feared pirate. Luckily I'd had a few run-ins with him in the past that worked to my favor which meant that I was actually on his good side for the most part.

"Sup Law; it's been a while hasn't it?" I said.

The pirate captain grinned wider before dipping his head, "That it has Miss Sam, though it seems trouble is still attached to your hip."

"Eh… yeah I guess you could say that."

"You're lucky you hit my sub, in fact it took me a good seven minutes to resuscitate you. Any more then I would have had to declare you dead."

I sighed and got up to face Law, "Then I guess you've repaid one of your debts to me."

His grin slipped for an instant, "Yes but I would think that saving your life would account for two favors out of the way, wouldn't you agree Miss Sam?"

"Hmm… we'll see. But what happened to your ship?"

"You're on it."

"What?"

"Our old ship was damaged in a few storms and battles so we obtained a submarine. Quite an interesting piece, ya?"

"Certainly is…"

After a checkup Law left Ace and I alone with the promise that he would come to get us for dinner. I thanked him once again and then it was just Ace and I. The flaming idiot was looking down at the bed with a downtrodden manner. Sitting in silence was killing me so I reached over and smacked him on the back of the head. Ace's eyes widened as he looked up at me, "What was that for?" He griped.

"Stop looking like that."

"Like what?"

"I know you're upset at what happened but I'm alive and that is all that matters."

"What bothers me is that there was nothing I could do to help you. This was what I was talking about!" Ace was on his feet pacing the length of the room.

"Ace calm down; you know that I knew what I was getting into with this. I know that you don't want me on this mission with you but by now I know that you know I'm going to do whatever I damn well please and you'll just have to follow along. I knew there was a possibility that I could die but I went along with it anyways. So wipe that pathetic look off of your face."

Ace turned his gaze to me, slightly flaming, "Are you so selfish as to not care about the people you leave behind when you die? Do we mean so little to you that you would just so easily go off to die?" He yelled.

"Calm down you dumbass! I'm just saying that I know the risks of this mission, no need to call me selfish! I mean seriously I _do _care about the people I'd leave behind when I do die!"

"Sam you don't understand where I'm coming from! Do you realize that I _watched _you fall overboard and could do _nothing _to help you? I mean seriously how are you not mad at me for allowing you to almost die?!"

"Because I know you didn't do it on purpose! You say I don't understand you but you don't understand _me_! You want me to be mad at you for something that was _an accident_! Well newsflash I'm not mad at you for what happened I'm mad that you want me to be upset with you for this! It happened and it's done so stop fucking beating yourself up!"

By this time Ace and I were on our feet and screaming at each other at the top of our lungs. He was on fire and I felt the familiar pulling in my fingertips as his blood raced through his veins. Then suddenly he smashed his lips down on mine in a near burning kiss. My back hit the bed and he was pinning me down into the plushy surface, "You kill me woman." He whispered in my ear before biting it. I choked down a moan as he began to trail hot kisses down my neck toward my chest.

My blunt nails scratched into his back as he untied my top and tossed it aside on my bed. Grabbing the atrociously ugly hat of his I tossed it onto the bedpost as he was going for my belt. Just as he undid it and was going to slide it off the door burst open and Law was leaning in the doorway smirking, "Perhaps I forgot to mention but while you're on my ship… no fucking in my medical beds."

I glared at Law as Ace tossed the sheet over me and groaned as he rolled onto his back. "You know Law, sometimes I really hate you." I growled. Law grinned wide before telling me to get dressed and go to the galley for dinner. Without further ado he left and I had Ace help me tie my bikini top back on. He fumbled with the strings since he was slightly shaking but from what I had no idea. With my clothes back on and his hat in place we got up and I laced his hand in mine. He gave a grin before kissing me on the forehead, "Come on Ace, dinner awaits us!" I remarked. He hastily agreed as we made our way to where the smell of food was emanating from.

Arriving at the galley I noticed that the only seats were one next to Law and then an empty one next to that. On Law's left was a pretty woman with delicate features and dark black hair; she was someone familiar… Sitting down in the seat nearest Law, Ace took the one next to me. Law grinned at us and I simply grinned and flicked him off as well. "Well now that the love birds have finally arrived…" Law trailed off as everyone began to dig in.

I wasn't a fan of what he was insinuating about us but it was whatever because one; we were on his ship and two; this was really, really good food. "My compliments to the chef!" I remarked as I went back for seconds. A man with a ball-cap blushed and muttered 'thanks' as he tugged his hat low over his face before continuing to eat. Giggling at his bashfulness I went back to eating and occasionally chatting with Law about how his time was since I'd seen him last.

"So Sam, how is it that you know Law?" Ace asked as he shoveled food down his throat.

I was a bit annoyed with his eating habits at this point since I was constantly picking meat off my face; I'd have to retrain him eventually, "Well, I was sailing around the North Blue when I ran into this guy," I jabbed a thumb in Law's direction, "He was apparently on the run from some Marines that were on his ass about stealing someone's daughter or whatever. I was looking to jack up my bounty some more so I gladly helped him out."

"I didn't need your help Miss Sam; you just ever so gladly jumped in the way." Law cut in.

"I did not! In fact you practically wedged my ship in between your own and the Marines!"

Law only smirked, "I just took an opportunity, now please remember just whose ship you're on Miss Sam."

Rolling my eyes at him I flipped the bird and went back to eating. Law began to laugh and I just continued to eat. Ace laughed as well before he gave me a one-armed hug as he then went back to shoveling in food.

**Kellin's Pov**

Kellin was in pain, so much pain. He felt as though his body was still being ripped in half. While he had no idea if his bones were still rearranging it felt as though they were. He had no idea of why they were doing this to him. When faced with the choice of a devil fruit Kellin had refused kindly only to have Blackbeard shove the damn thing down his throat. As soon as he'd swallowed the godforsaken fruit it felt as though his entire body was rearranging itself.

Moaning once again Kellin cracked open a bloodshot eye to blearily focus on the ceiling in front of him. His head hurt in the worst way as well. "Kffffm, so you're finally coming back around." A deep voice remarked. Turning his head Kellin spied Check sitting on the edge of a chair with his hands lying flat on his kneecaps. His presence was as intimidating as always and those eyes… those orange eyes were just… unnerving.

"Wh-what happened to me?" Kellin croaked.

"Kffffm, as if you don't already know," Check then shrugged, "I guess I'll indulge you though. You were fed the Atom-Atom fruit. Basically you are going to be able to control all of the atoms in your body. You can walk through walls, people, anything. You are also able to rearrange your molecular structure to make your skin harder than diamonds and such of the like. Honestly it's one of the better devil fruits out there."

"I don't… want it…"

"Too late for that, just look at your body already."

Kellin wanted to scream as he noticed his body constantly going from gelatinous to as stiff as concrete, "What is happening to me?" He screamed.

"Your body is trying out all of the different forms it can take to figure out the best suited one. You are a paramecium type after all."

"Get it out, get it out of me! I don't want this! Kill me now! Kill me!" Kellin wailed and screeched as his strength gave out.

"You are too important to our cause to die now. If you try to end your life then I will be forced to have to keep you alive. Now go back to sleep or I will put you down myself."

"Kill me! Chop off my head, rip out my heart, or even explode my entire body! I don't care but just kill me!"

"Good-night."

Check put his hand over Kellin's mouth and kept it there until the idiot passed out. Wiping the spit off of his hand the man simple chuckled at the idiotic body and simply moved on out of the room. The idiot had no idea of the gift he'd been given! Why Check had carved it himself into a work of perfection!

Walking down the hallway Check made it into Teague's room. The captain was pacing along the edge of the room. His hands were firmly clasped behind his back, face grim set. Obviously he had thought that Kellin would respond to the jump in power happily but this was not the case. Instead the cur decided to be ungrateful for the gift he Teague had bestowed upon him!

"Is he out again?" Teague snapped.

Check dipped his head, "Yes, I had to manually put him under but he is resting."

"Do you think that we will have to put his mind under controls?"

"Only time will tell because right now he is not in his right mind. I honestly have no idea of what he will do."

Teague nodded slowly, "Keep an eye on him Check, I'm not about to lose this one like I did… _that rat._"

Check dipped his head in acknowledgement. He really didn't want to go back there and watch that brat freak out again but he couldn't oppose Teague; he was indebted to the ass. So for now until the pact created was broken he had no choice but to follow his orders.

Alright guys I feel like no one reads this anymore so I really would really appreciate some comments on this or i'll probably just discontinue it.


	20. Chapter 20

I did not like Drum Island that much. Ice and snow were everywhere and I absolutely _detested _the cold. Turning away from the porthole of the submarine I left a sleeping ace in search of food. Within five chilly minutes I'd made it to the galley where breakfast was underway.

Grumbling I grabbed my cloak closer to me and ate my warm oatmeal with shaky, half-frozen hands. Law grinned over his steaming mug of coffee at my obvious discontent from his seat. When I was about to tell him where to put that mug the woman from the other night with inky black hair came into the room.

There were murmurs of a 'good morning' from the crewmates to which she happily gave them a good morning in return. As she neared the table Law reached out an arm and caught her around the waist. He drug the poor female into his lap and resumed drinking his coffee with a smirk at the woman's dark red blush. "Law, let me up please!" She whined.

"Nope."

"Law!"

"Nope."

"Laaawwwwwww!"

"'cuse me, but do I know you from somewhere? I mean I should think that I would remember your name." I cut in.

The woman looked at me with a smile on her face, "I'm not surprised you don't remember me that well, we only met once and that was very briefly. My name is Rayne." She replied in a very light voice.

My eyes widened, "Rayne as in… Rayne Akainu? Admiral Akainu's daughter who went missing two years ago?"

A solemn air fell over here, "Yeah… I'm her…"

"Your dad tore the seas apart for you, ya know?"

She nodded, "Yes, I remember. However I'm not about to go back home. I like this adventure. I like traveling to new places with Law and the crew and I wouldn't give that up for anything."

"Speaking your opinion, a true pirate indeed. I approve of you, you chose well Law."

Law's grin gained a slight sadistic feel to it as the shadows beneath his eyes darkened, "I do believe I never needed your approval miss Sam."

I smirked, "Of course not, I'm just stating that she is a good companion and looks like she's willing to put up with your shit more than I ever would."

Before Law could even reply Ace entered into the room. He placed a kiss on my temple as he sat down and buried himself in his food. Rayne giggled behind her hand as Law blatantly grinned. I glared at them to shut up before ducking as the idiot swung his glass into the air as the crew roared with laughter.

Straightening up I rolled my eyes at him as I turned back to talk to Rayne and Law. Unfortunately for me they were locked in a heated kiss. I'm actually sure that my face turned a light shade of green at this but I managed to keep my breakfast down. This was going to be a very long meal.

I groaned at the cold of Drum Island once again and walked closer to Ace. I seriously was over the cold at this point even more than when we had left Law. I wished for nothing more than to be in my warm bed with Ace on the Moby Dick with our crew. Unfortunately that wasn't the case at this point.

"Ace how much longer are we going to be here?" I asked.

Ace wrapped an arm around me; effectively pulling my body into his, "I just need to ask around the bars to see if Blackbeard has been here and then after that once I leave a message for Luffy we'll be on our way. Don't worry."

He placed a kiss to my temple and I flicked his forehead, "Then get on with it because it's _cold._"

Ace chuckled and pulled me into his arms. Wrapping my arms around him I placed my nose in the crook of his neck. Immediately Ace jumped, "Geez! Your nose is freezing!" He hissed. Ignoring that comment I placed my face further into him and squeezed my eyes shut against the cold.

Eventually we made it to an inn and my eyes opened at the feeling of warm air hitting my face. Peeking one eye out from where my face was pressed in Ace's neck I spotted the inn keeper smiling warmly at the two of us. Ace walked toward the man behind the desk, "I'd like a room please." He said.

"Here you are you can pay me for it later. I can tell that your girl there needs a nice hot meal and a warm bed."

"Thank you for your kindness, I will be sure to get the money to you."

"Dinner will be in an hour and I will make sure that it is very warm."

"Thank you." I mumbled to the inn keeper.

I took the key from the man as Ace shouldered both of our bags and headed upstairs. When we got to the room he took the key and opened the door. The sweet scent of cinnamon filled our noses and a lovely made bed was laid out right in front of us. The temperature was warm and the room was brightly lit. To our left was the bathroom with a nice tub in it that I was definitely going to try.

Ace set me down on the bed and kneeled in front of me. Grabbing the heel of my boot he quickly unlaced the shoelaces and slipped it off. Repeating the process on the other one he stood up and started to unbutton my coat for me when he noticed my half-frozen fingers fumbling with it. "Thanks…" I mumbled.

"You're welcome babe." He pressed a kiss to my temple.

"Hey, when is dinner again?"

"An hour, why?"

I groaned, "I was going to have a nice soak in the tub but I guess I'll have to do it later."

"Well if you get the water there then I'll gladly warm it up for you." He smirked.

"Hm… maybe later, I plan on staying in there for quite a while."

Ace chuckled and looped his arms around my waist, "Then I guess we should kill some time eh?"

"Oh? How would you suggest doing that because I can tell you that I won't be disrobing."

A pout was now placed on his slight-boyish features, "Then what do you suggest?"

"Dunno."

I exited Ace's arms and flopped back down on the bed. Unfortunately I'd forgotten that our bags were on the bed and because of the bounce I caused they fell off of the bed onto the floor. My bag flipped open and all of the contents spilled out. Groaning I sat up and Ace helped pick up the spilled contents. However when my hand ghosted over a familiar journal I picked it up and looked at it with remembrance. It had been so long since I had written in this.

Turning the book over in my hands I looked closer at it to notice a small black smudge on the edge of the cover almost underneath the clasp. Bringing the cover closer to my face I looked to see that it was indeed a burn mark, in the shape of a fingerprint. I racked my brain for moments where Ace might've gotten his hands on it but there were too many. "Ace… have you read my journal?" I asked.

"Huh?"

I turned to look at him, "Ace I'm asking for the truth here… did you read this?"

"I… yes…"

"Why?" My tone was sharp.

"It fell out of your pack and I just… picked it up. I'm really sorry Sam I didn't think that you would be this upset."

"I'm upset because these are my own personal thoughts! No one is supposed to know of those!"

"I swear that I only read a few entries! After that I put it up and never touched it again!"

I looked at him and just sat down on the bed, "Those were personal… I don't like it when people read my personal books…"

"I swear I didn't mean to."

Taking a deep breath I nodded, "This is your one warning, keep your nose out of this book or else I'll break it off."

Ace saluted me, "As you wish!"

Rolling my eyes I tossed the book into my bag and fell back on the bed once more with an 'oof!'. Ace chuckled as he joined me on the bed and traced small figures on my arm. I closed my eyes and smiled in relaxation. We must've laid there for a few minutes when there was a knock on the door followed by a call for dinner.

The two of us rolled to our feet and shuffled toward the common room. While we didn't know where the common room was, all we did was follow the noise. In no time we were into the room where delicious scents of food emanated. Ace surged forward with my hand in his and we were seated at the table just as the last dish was being put on.

I thanked the inn keepers while Ace just jumped right in face first. Everyone just watched him eat as I shook my head and started to eat my own food. One of these days I would teach Ace to eat properly.

**Ace's Pov**

"Ace this island is freezing! I thought you said that we would be looking for information _inside_." Sam hissed as she huddled closer to him.

Ace grinned and wrapped his arm around her like usual on this island, "Don't worry, I'll keep you nice and _warm_. Besides the bar is just up ahead."

"Ugh… if you weren't so warm…" Sam trailed off.

Ace chuckled and tugged her in even closer. He had to admit, having Sam snuggle into his side like this made her look adorable. Even though Drum Island was insanely cold, Ace was glad to be off of Law's ship. He was glad for Law saving his lover but at the same time he wasn't that happy with how Sam and Law interacted. There was something about the way the spoke to each other that made him think they might've been previously together or at least involved in some way. However he was going to keep his speculations to himself because he knew that Sam would kick his ass if he even suggested such a thing.

"Come on, let's go and check this bar." Sam said as she took the lead and pulled him into the bar.

The inside of the bar reminded Ace much of the one that he and Sam had met up in all that time ago. The place was dimly lit; many of the lights had been broken. Scents of sweat, beer, and the usual inhabitants rose up to mix into a malodorous concoction not at all pleasing to the nose. Chatter and drunken chants soared through the dank air to make the scene complete. Behind the bar the bartender watched with a careful eye while serving up drinks and hot food to the chilly drunkards.

"Be careful." Ace muttered as he and Sam took off for different corners of the room. Hopefully they would be able to find some information quickly and then get out of there but who knew. Sitting down at a table with a boisterous crowd Ace asked around to see if anyone knew anything about Blackbeard. Unfortunately the only information he got were facts that he already knew.

Going around the bar he asked person after person for information when he gave up and sat down at the bar to order some food. Ace's brain began to turn over and over in an attempt to figure out where the next logical place was to be. Sam sat down next to him and grabbed a strawberry off of his plate when the barmaid set it down. "So," Sam took a bite out of the fruit, "Got anything yet?" She asked.

Ace inhaled about a third of his plate before answering, "Sorry but I got nothin'… wha' bout' you?"

"I may have a lead."

Ace quit eating immediately, "Do you really?"

"Yup, I have information that Blackbeard was spotted in Alabasta but I'm not sure how reliable that is."

"Then let's at least check it out!"

Ace leapt off of his stool and snatched up Sam's hand. Just as they made it out of the bar Ace stopped and took out a piece of paper. Ace then walked over to a stranger, "Here, I need you to give this to a guy named Luffy. Tell him I'll be waiting in city of Nanohana, Alabasta for ten days." He said in a cool manner.

"Uh but… wait-?" The stranger started.

"Stop those two! They dined and dashed!" The bar owner screamed.

Immediately Ace snatched up Sam's hand and they took off, "Just give him that message!" He yelled.

**Sam's Pov**

We managed to get out of the town and for once I found myself laughing at his antics. Unfortunately we tripped on something and took a tumble down a slight slope and I ended up sprawled on top of him. He let out a groan and I chuckled slightly as I noticed the steam rising off of his body. "Lovely footwork there." I said.

Ace rolled us over so that my back was pushed into the snow, "Oh really? I believe it was _you _who actually tripped us up."

"Nah, it was totally you."

Ace glared playfully at me before leaning down and catching my lips with his. Shoving my fingers under his hat I wrapped my fingers around dark strands of his hair. Feeling the heat of his lips against mine was actually pretty nice. Ace rolled us over so my body was pressed against him and off of the snow. Nibbling on his lower lip Ace gladly opened up to let our tongues play.

However we had to break apart for two reasons. One, we needed air and two, it was getting even colder. Sneezing to the side of Ace, we sat up and he looked at the sky, "We should get you somewhere before you get sick." He said. I pouted but it was of no use. Ace got up and slid his hand into mine. I grabbed his warm hand back as we moved out of the cold toward the cover of the trees.

By the time we'd found a suitable place to rest I felt like I was burning up. Ace rolled out a bedroll and set me down in it. However when I started to kick the covers off Ace began to put them back on, "Sam stop kicking the covers off! You need to stay warm!" Ace growled.

"I already am, you're suffocating me!"

"No you're not Sam. Please just keep the covers on, I think you're getting sick!"

"Noooooooo!"

"Sam what is it going to take to get you to just go to sleep and keep the covers on?"

"Lay down with me…"

"Wha?"

I glared at him through bleary eyes, "What part of what I said was gibberish? I don't want to take a nap all alone…"

"That… was so cute…"

A blush coated my already heated cheeks, "S-shut up! If you didn't want to then just go!"

Ace laughed as he lay down next to me, "It's not that I don't want to but I'm not used to you being so cute and vulnerable when you're talking to me. I mean you're so independent and you always want to do things on your own that sometimes I forget that you're capable of being vulnerable."

"Trust me… I'm far from invincible…"

"Don't worry, that's why I'm here. I'll have your back no matter what."

"I know," I hacked up a rather nasty cough, "Same here… when I'm not on my deathbed…"

"I love you Samantha, get some sleep you'll need it."

"I love you too… pyro-idiot…"

I'm really sorry about the slow update guys! I've recently come down with a double ear and sinus infection on top of trying to move my grandparents to their new house so i'm really gonna try and push to get the next chapter out soon!

Also, thanks to everyone who actually left reviews and encouraged me to continue on with this story, you guys rock!


	21. Chapter 21

**Ace's Pov**

Ace was beginning to seriously worry now. It had been three days and Sam's fever hadn't broken. By now his lovely wife was in a suspended state of uneasy rest accompanied by shallow breathing. Ace had been diligent enough to put a damp and cold rag on her forehead and changed it when it needed to be however that seemed to be doing little. He had also been good about keeping fluids in her for the short amount of time she'd been awake and occasionally small pieces of bread.

Sam was taking a turn for the worst and any town was far behind them now. Ace's only hope at this point was to find a way to eradicate the virus just long enough to get out of this weather and perhaps find a cabin or something out of the weather. However Ace had no idea of how to do that. So for now the only option at the moment was to bundle her up the best he could and set out in search of shelter. They couldn't stay in the cave he'd found three days earlier any longer or else they risked being trapped inside by snow.

While snow wasn't much of a problem for Ace, he didn't know if he would be able to clear out all of the snow that was heavily falling now. With Sam out of the picture at the moment Ace wasn't willing to take that chance. He wasn't on his own like usual, no, this time Ace had someone else to watch out for.

Packing up all of their stuff Ace bundled Sam up in the sleeping mat the best he could and picked her up in his arms along with their stuff. Walking out of the cave Ace had to narrow his eyes against the harsh wind and snow. Trudging through the best he could, the pirate internally heated up his body against the harsh cold. Snow melted around him as Ace walked through the open valley with Sam unaware of the world around her.

**Law's Pov**

Law sat in his chair in a lazy manner with Rayne on his lap once more. Her head was resting in the hollow of his throat as her fingers trailed little patterns on his bicep. Law felt pretty relaxed at the moment and on top of life. He had his beautiful girl in his lap, his crew was working like a well-oiled machine, and the waters were calm. Yes, his day was looking good.

"Law… I have a bad feeling…" Rayne murmured.

Law arched an eyebrow, "Oh? And about what?"

"You were working on a new virus strain right?"

"Yes?" Law didn't like where this was going.

"No one but you or I have been in the med bay right? I mean I know that this is a nasty thing you're tinkering with. I don't want it to infect the crew…"

"As far as I know no one has dared to go inside the med bay. If they have then I've made sure that they've washed properly."

"How about when you were treating Sam? Because we all know that it was such a rush that day that only you or I would have remembered to completely decontaminate ourselves."

Law's blood ran cold, "I sent Shachi in there once when you were busy keeping her breathing while I pumped water from her lungs," His gray eyes narrowed, "_That idiot_." He hissed.

Rayne sat up and stared at Law with wide eyes, "You don't think…"

"I do think. Sam might have been infected with that strain of virus."

"Oh god… We_ have _to find Sam! If she's got that virus string… it could kill her."

"Beppo, I want you to come with me. Shachi, Penguin, you two are to find a way to find Sam and then get this ship going into the right direction!" Law ordered as he set Rayne on her feet and stood up.

The crewmembers nodded as they moved to carry out their captain's orders.

"What about us Law? What are we going to do?" Rayne asked nervously.

"We're going to the infirmary to see if we can't begin to work on a cure for this strain of virus. With any luck we can make a start on finding a way to combat this by the time we get to Sam."

Law made his way down the halls of his submarine with Rayne in tow. They made it to the sick bay and Law immediately was at his work station with his medical gear on. So much for Law's laid back day.

**Ace's Pov**

Ace was getting desperate at this point. Sam was coughing up miniscule amounts of blood but as soon as it was exposed to air for thirty seconds it began to turn a strange teal color. The day was beginning to turn dark and Ace hadn't found anywhere to stay. If they didn't get anywhere soon enough they would have to be curled up in the snow.

'…_Sam…need!... come in!'_

Ace stopped short when he heard a far-off sound. It actually sounded like a den-den mushi but as far as Ace knew, neither of them had a den-den mushi on them.

'_Come… need… now! Samantha…!'_

Stopping in his tracks, Ace set Sam down close to his feet and shuffled around in their belongings until Ace produced a den-den mushi from Sam's pack. With it free of the surroundings, the den-den mushi was able to get a clear signal.

'_Samantha please come in! We need to find you _right now_!' _Came Rayne's distressed voice.

"Rayne, what's going on? Sam is really badly sick and I can't help her out here! I think we're at the edge of Drum island but I can't be sure with all of this snow around!" Ace replied into the den-den mushi.

'_Ace! -Thank the gods of the sea that I got hold of someone!- listen to me right now! Sam has been infected with the strain of a new virus that Law found. It has no cure that we've been able to find but we're working on it. However we _need _to get Sam back to the submarine and in quarantine as soon as possible!'_

"How was she infected?"

'_One of our crewmembers accidentally infected her when we were treating Sam. Their incompetence will be dealt with I assure you but we need Sam in here right now!'_

"I should be near the east side of the island by the time the sun rises if I keep moving."

'_Then we'll be waiting! Keep her warm and _don't _for _any reason_ let her get cold!'_

"Alright, I'll get a move on."

Ace pocketed the den-den mushi and picked Sam up once more. Trudging through the snow he made even more of an effort to put on speed. Encasing his legs in fire Ace didn't even bother with trying to keep his powers under a managing control. Blasting fire forward he made a path and began to hurry to where he knew the sun would rise. If he had any luck at all Sam would make it through this to smack him over his head once more like she used to.

**Law's Pov**

Law tossed yet another burning pair of medical research gloves into the trash as he glared at the virus squirming around in its petri dish. So far Law had managed to burn through three pairs of gloves and had made little to no progress what-so-ever. In fact Law was beginning to wonder if there was any way that he would be able to formulate an antidote for this virus.

"I got ahold of Ace and sent orders to the navigators to head to the correct part of the island to wait for Ace and Sam. How are things around here coming?" Rayne asked as she pulled on a pair of gloves.

Even after two years of sailing with this woman by his side Law felt a familiar tug in his stomach. Yes, he wasn't stupid, Law knew that he was indeed in love with this beauty. Of course the amazing sex did nothing to curb that feeling either. In fact usually if the two met up and were alone they would spend some time 'bonding', however there were things to be done at the present moment and they couldn't really take the time to put off the tasks at hand like usual.

"Law?" Rayne asked while snapping her delicate hands near his face.

Law smirked, in the past he'd tried so hard to get her to call him 'Captain' and now he hated it when she called him that, "So far nothing other than three melted pairs of gloves."

Rayne pouted and sat down next to him, "So then what do you propose that we should do?"

"Run more tests obviously." He replied with a blank face.

Rayne smacked him in the shoulder, "I'm just your assistant!"

Law pecked her on the lips. Rayne was absolutely sexy when upset, "I know that. Hand me those droppers."

And so the work started again.


	22. Chapter 22

**Ace's Pov**

Ace was exhausted almost to the point of no return. There was a dull, burning ache in his legs as his breathing was labored. Honestly the fire fist wanted nothing more than to just go to sleep or take a nice long rest but that wasn't going to happen. Over the course of the night Sam had progressed into a worse stage of the illness.

Her own breathing was a sickly sort of wheezing that made Ace cringe every time he heard it. It sounded like Sam was on her last leg. His wife's skin was so pale it was borderline translucent and she had a pained expression painted on her features. Yes, Ace was worried through the night that she might kick the bucket so to speak. A couple of times he had to stop and heat up his body as much as he dared to in order to keep her warm.

The sun was just beginning to break over the island just as Ace managed to get to the shoreline. Waves crashed upon the side in a furious display as though Mother Nature was angry at him for something. Gray clouds covered the sky, choking the sun. Ace checked his compass once more to make absolutely sure that he was in the southern end of the island but the needle point hadn't changed, he was still going the right direction.

Getting as close as he dared the Whitebeard commander sat down on a rock and huddled a shivering Sam into his chest. Ace was still a bit dazed that Sam had managed to become so sick so quickly. Did the fates just hate him and want to take her away from him? She was one of the only people in this world who cared about Ace for him. He knew he was a monster for being Gol D. Rodger's son but she didn't care about that. Even after she found out the truth Sam never stopped treating him the same. That was one thing he absolutely loved about her.

A wheezy groan of pain broke Ace from his thoughts. Looking down Ace saw that Sam was beginning to stir a bit. Her eyes were hazy and her movements weak but she was at least staying conscious. "Sam, how do you feel? Does anything hurt? Can you even talk?" Ace rushed to get all of his questions out.

"I-my throat… hurts…"

Ace fumbled with his canteen before handing it over to her, "Here, take small sips of this."

She took a sip, "W-why are we just sitting… here?"

"We're waiting for Law's ship. You got really badly sick with a new virus they were messing with and they need you back on their ship so they can give you the vaccine for it."

"Damn you… Law…"

"Sam just rest right now, you need to keep your strength up because right now it doesn't look like you have much of it."

"Sh-shut… up… I'm managing…"

Ace chuckled a bit and pressed a kiss to her forehead only to have her vehemently shove him away.

"What are you doing?" Ace asked shocked.

"I-if I'm sick… then you… shouldn't be kissing… me! You could get… infected!"

Ace just laughed at his silly wife, "S-sorry to have never mentioned it before but I don't get sick!"

"Liar!"

"N-no, no, it's true! Because my body is naturally hotter inside than a regular human's body temperature I instantly burn up any viruses that manage to enter my system."

Sam pouted at him, "Unfucking… believable…"

Ace laughed once more before placing yet another kiss to her burning forehead, "Go back to sleep and try to get some rest. I'm glad you woke up and all but you still look like you're about to die." He said. Sam opened her mouth to argue but there was a resounding gurgling cough that interrupted her. Once Sam was done hacking up her lungs she just groaned in defeat and snuggled up into him.

All at once Ace's worry came back. Where were they? Scanning the shoreline again Ace's eyes were just sharp enough to spot a familiar ugly yellow submarine coming toward them. Relief washed over him in droves, they were finally here. Getting to his feet Ace shifted Sam into a more comfortable position in his arms and hurried a bit closer to the shore.

Rayne slammed open the door on the deck leading to the under deck. "Come on!" She yelled over the wind that was picking up even more. Ace took a moment and then shot onto the deck. He entered through the door just as Rayne slammed it shut. "Down the stairs, take a right, and go to the door on the end of the hallway. That door opens up and leads to the infirmary and lab." Rayne said quickly.

Ace followed her directions and came to the infirmary. Law looked up from his research and his gaze darkened. "Put her on the bed there, right now." He ordered while stripping off a melting pair of gloves. Ace quickly put her down and was pushed back by Law. "Go put on a face mask." Law instructed while pulling out a new pair of gloves.

"I don't get sick-."

"It's not for you." Law cut him off.

Ace felt slightly offended, "What?"

"We're going to be doing surgery and while I know you can't get infected or sick Miss Sam still can."

Without any further remarks Ace put the mask on his face and let Law get to his thing. The dark doctor grabbed up a few medical tools and then stood over Sam in a slight formidable manner. Ace had the slight urge to go and grab her away from Law but at the same time he knew that Law was the only hope they had. So Ace went against every instinct he had and stepped away from his lover in order to allow another male to handle her.

**Law's Pov**

Annoyance coursed through Law like fire, how had he allowed this to happen? Rayne entered into the room already clad in a mask and gloves. Her gaze revealed how worried she was. Law could relate but his worry was only a shade of what hers was. Since Law was a doctor he didn't have the luxury of quaking in his boots. No, he had to remain calm and get this procedure done before his patient died and he hand an enraged devil fruit user on his hands. "Ace you're going to be the one that heats up and sterilizes my tools. Until I need you step back. Rayne, get on the other side of Miss Samantha. You will be the one to hand me any instruments I may need." Law instructed.

Rayne nodded, "Alright."

Law took a breath and then held up his hands, "Room."

"Alright I've stabilized Miss Sam's condition however now we need to get back to finding a cure for the virus." Law announced as he took down his 'room'.

"Wait you don't have the antidote figured out?" Ace yelled.

Rayne swallowed visibly, "Sorry Ace but at this time we don't have the cure yet."

"Law you had better get on this! If Sam dies I'll kill you."

Law placed a tattooed hand around Ace's throat, how dare the bastard. "Mister Ace, as much as I am in a debt to Miss Sam I will not hesitate to kill you if you keep trying to order me around. I am a doctor but I'm also a captain; I give orders, not take them. Do you understand?"

"F-fine."

Law released Ace, "Good then allow me to get back to my work. The less interruptions there are the fast I'll be able to find a cure."

Ace glared at Law but finally stepped away. Inside Law gave a sigh of relief and turned back to his work. "Rayne make Mister Ace feel comfortable somewhere else so I can work." Law said while not looking up.

**Kellin's Pov**

The day was not very pleasant. Kellin's body was still hurting from everything previously and he had no idea of what he was supposed to do anymore. His body constantly shifted shape and one moment he seemed to be going through the floor and the next he was stuck in it! Life was just hell now days.

"Get the image of what form you want your body to encompass in your head and get your body out of the floor." Check ordered from his perch on the shelves on the side of the room. All the frightening man ever did for the past five days was sit there and instruct him about his powers while looking at nude magazines. Unfortunately Kellin wasn't getting the hang of it at all. He was just so tired of constantly being yelled at and not getting anywhere.

Kellin snarled as he wiggled in the floor, "This is no use! Get me out of here right now!"

"Kffffm, if I did that then you wouldn't be learning a damn thing. So I'll tell you again, _focus_."

"It's not fair! I learn by watching someone else!"

Check got off of his perch and gripped Kellin's chin tightly, "You do realize that there aren't any others with your ability right? Only one person at a time contains the powers of a certain devil fruit and no person can have two devil fruits in their systems. So I would have to say that _you're on your own _for this one."

"I know who you are so I know what you're saying is partial bullshit! Help me!"

Check roughly gripped Kellin's hair and made them look at one another, "Focus your pea-brained mind on what _I'm telling you _and you'll get your sorry ass out of the floor."

Kellin's eyes gazed into the burning orange orbs of Check and felt fear course through him. Check was done playing nice at the moment, "Get it done now and stop wasting my time. I may be indebted to Teague but I owe no allegiance or patience to you."

"I-I'll try."

Check released Kellin's face and stepped back; his smoldering gaze still trained on Kellin. The latter closed his eyes and attempted to picture the way his body looked the one time he'd seen it be intangible. All at once he felt a strange feeling come over himself and tried moving. Luckily for him he was able to begin moving out of the floor but just as he was going to take his ankles out the feeling vanished and Kellin was not going anywhere.

Kellin resisted the urge to scream in anger and frustration.

"Again." Check called while beginning to flip through his risqué magazine again.

**Law's Pov**

Law sighed as reclined back on the medical bed for a moment. He was exhausted and had done everything he could for Sam at the moment. Right now the red headed beauty was sleeping in a relatively peaceful sleep. Of course she still looked like a corpse on his medical bed but for now at least it didn't look like she was about to kick the bucket any second now.

It was difficult work now because that ridiculous virus was immune to every damn thing he tried! What worried him the most though was that the virus constantly changed itself up to become immune to every combination of medicine that the doctor was able to come up with. If this was the case then there would be nothing Law would be able to do for Sam. Law balled up his hands into fists. Not being able to help a patient was a doctor's worst nightmare. Law could still remember how his mother was when such a case as this rolled around, it was just horrible.

A knock on the door sounded and brought Law out of his revere. "Law? It's Rayne, do you mind if I come in?" Came the cool, breezy voice of his lover. Law answered her and without further ado the raven haired beauty made her debut into the room. Her blue eyes sparkled a bit brighter when her gaze caught Law. "How goes it?" She asked.

"This virus is more resistant to the antidotes and medicines than I originally thought. Every time I administer one it adapts itself to become immune."

"You're kidding!"

"Why would I joke about this?" Law snapped.

Rayne's face dropped into a mad/annoyed expression, "I was just shocked, no need to snap at me!"

"This is a very stressful time because right now I'm failing at what I excel in."

"I get that and I know that you and Sam were romantically involved in the past and I'm sure that you still carry some feelings for that-"

"What?"

Rayne's face gained a sly look, "Don't even try to deny I can tell the way you look at her. You may not be in love with her anymore but you obviously still have a small shade of feelings for her."

"You're completely off. Yes Miss Sam and I used to have somewhat of an intimate relationship but she could never go through with her end of things. I can tell you in full confidence that Miss Sam is nothing but a good friend who I owe many debts to."

"Law, it's alright to admit that there are still some feelings there even if it's half a step up from friend. I mean I never stopped caring about my previous feelings for some of my exes. I'm not jealous and I can admit that Sam is overwhelmingly beautiful. I thought that when I met her the first time though back then I can tell you that I was very jealous and insecure back then as well too."

Law felt annoyance begin to prickle under his skin, this was not a subject he wanted to go over at the moment! "Miss Rayne it would be a very smart move to stop talking on this subject. Miss Samantha is not only married but she and I decided a long time ago to not further our relationship nor carry on with it. We are simply friends and that is the end of it."

Rayne seemed to realize now that she had stepped over a very large and touchy line. She apologized and then explained that it would be a good idea for her to go and get Law some food for dinner since he most likely wouldn't be dining with them tonight. Once the door shut behind her Law took his hat off carefully and raked his hands through his inky hair. Law could not deny the curvaceous redhead on the bed to be attractive but that was a fleeting idea of his naivety long ago. Rayne was real and she loved him almost unconditionally, not to mention that she was also unmarried and had no issues with commitment.

It was long ago that Law realized that Sam had given her heart to another man. He was not a stupid; Law understood that Sam would never love him like that. So he ended it on the basis that they should just remain in a mutual alliance. For so long he had held onto those moments with Sam and it was until he really grew up that he was able to let go of those memories and wants. It was now that Law realized that he really did have feelings for Rayne. While he wouldn't trade the moments he'd had with Sam he knew now that Rayne was it.

Hearing shuffling Law turned his head to look at Sam who was just beginning to stir. Going over to the bedside Law waited a moment for Sam to get her bearings. Finally her eyes focused on Law, "Uh… what happened and why… am I seeing your face first?" She rasped. Honestly she was looking pretty bad at the moment.

Law smirked, "I'm saving your life and you had to be quarantined. How do you feel?"

"I don't… honestly… bad…"

Law's smirk disappeared, "I'm working on a cure as fast as I can."

"I know… I'm sure i-if… anyone can… find a cure It'll be… you…" She paused in a coughing fit, "You were…always good… at that…"

"If it's painful and a task to talk, don't."

"Sh-shut… up… I need to… at least do…something…"

"I would advise to be quiet. Using your energy to talk right now is not something advisable."

"So…how is ace?"

Law scowled, "Worrying an ulcer into his stomach, in fact he's almost obstructing my work with how much he's trying to get in here."

Sam's laugh transformed into a hacking cough, "He's just… worried is… all…"

"He can worry outside my infirmary. The next time he gets in the way of my work I'm going to cut him to pieces."

"Go… ahead… as long as… you put him in… one piece in… the end…"

Law ruffled a hand through Sam's hair just because he knew that she hated it, "Shut up and go back to sleep so I can test on your some more."

"Ugh…"

Sam let out one more wheezing cough before falling asleep again. Figuring his break was over Law got to his feet and once again went to go work on that damn virus. Taking a sample of Sam's blood from her vein he dumped it onto a viewing tray and put it under his microscope. Taking a peak Law let loose the most colorful swear he knew.

The virus was showing increased aggressiveness and was even more malignant than an hour ago. If he didn't get his ass in gear and find a cure soon it might be too late. Slamming his fist down on the table Law put his face in his hands, what else was he supposed to try? Looking again he found it destroying yet again more cells.

Quickly tearing himself away from the slides Law picked up more samples of anything he could think of to try and combat this with?

**Ace's Pov**

Ace sighed as he paced outside the infirmary door. Rayne however suddenly all but ran out of the door and smacked into Ace. The two ended up crashing to the floor. Ace groaned as he gently lifted Rayne off of him, "What the hell?" Ace inquired.

"S-sorry, Law is just… in a bad mood…"

"What's new, by the way how is Sam?"

"She looks like a corpse still but at least she's sleeping a little better." She stood up, "Come one let's go get some food."

Ace nodded as he got to his feet, "So what is the deal with Law and Sam anyways? I can tell that they aren't just 'good friends'."

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes."

"They were at one time in a relationship."

Ace felt a blinding flash of anger strike through him, "So she lied…"

"Uh I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about however he said that they were never really intimate. He said that he decided a long time ago to not further their relationship nor carry on with it, that they are simply friends and that was the end of it. Said she could never go through with her end of things so please put your flames out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Law is fairly honest and right now he isn't exerting any extra energy on anything else but helping Sam."

"Are you jealous of Sam? I mean I know that you and Law are… well… something."

Rayne smiled and shrugged her shoulders, "I have him now and I take what he says as the truth. So I'm just going to trust him and his word."

"I hope you're right."

The two made it to the galley and while Ace sat down Rayne announced to the crew that Law was too busy trying to find a cure and wouldn't be joining them. Everyone hunkered down a bit at the sound of 'cure'; especially when they looked at Law. Once Rayne exited the room the crew began to talk in hushed tones. Ace looked at all of them and suddenly felt really sleepy.

"Hey wake up!" A girl with dark brown hair and grease stains on her face screamed.

Ace's eyes peeled open as he sat up, "Wha?"

"Dude we thought you had died!" The girl yelled.

"Claire sit back and let the lad get his breath." The head cook spoke.

"But Oz-!"

"Sit!"

Claire pouted and sat back while Oz turned to Ace, "Are ya' alright lad?"

"Yeah I'm just fine, it happens all the time though usually Sam wakes me up."

"Really? Well sit down and take some food."

Oz shoved a plateful of food to Ace who gratefully took it and began to eat, "Thish ish good." He mumbled out around food.

"Yes you looked like a man that would enjoy some good old lamb chop."

"You gueshed righsh."

The rest of the night was spent in an easier atmosphere but Ace was still a bit worried about Sam. He knew that there was nothing that he could do to help her but stay out of the way but at the same time he wanted to be in there with her.

"You alright lad?" Oz inquired.

"It's just a stressful time. I'm supposed to be looking for Teach but I can't leave Sam when she's sick like this."

"Oh you mean that fat bastard that offed the fourth division commander?"

Ace felt the familiar burn of anger, "That's the one."

"Didn't you hear that he was sighted in Alabasta?"

Ace slammed his silverware down in shock while standing up, "What?"

"Yeah, he was said to have been spotted near Yuba or somewhere near there, I believe."

"I hope that Sam gets better soon because I don't want this lead to get stale."

Oz clapped Ace on the back, "Don't worry lad, Samantha is a strong lass, she'll pull through. She always pulled through in the past."

Ace looked at Oz sharply, "What exactly were these two to one another?"

"They were in a relationship but she wasn't around very long. They got into a big fight one night about whatever and that was that for about a year. Occasionally Samantha showed up on the ship again with various injuries and he always was good about patching her back up. It seemed like he kept hold of his serious feelings for Samantha until little Miss Rayne showed up."

"I see…"

"I can assure you they uh… well never went through with… 'it'."

Ace chuckled with a slight blush on his face, "I know, I've heard basically the same story a few times now."

Oz nodded and served up yet another dish of food to Ace who dutifully scarfed it down. Just as dinner was winding down the door burst open and Law strode inside. Ace found it a bit hard not to glare at the captain. Law gave a nod to all of his crew and strutted up to Ace. Without a word Law grabbed Ace around the neck and walked toward the door.

Since his neck was in Law's grip Ace had no choice but to follow the bastard. Quickly keeping up with the doctor they both went down the hallway toward the infirmary. However just as the two got to the very end of the hallway Law turned and tossed him into a room on the direct left of the door leading to the infirmary. Suddenly Ace was tossed into a bathroom with a miniscule plastic cup being thrown at him. "Fill this with semen." Law ordered.

Ace's eyes almost popped out of his head, was this man insane? "What?" Ace choked out finally. Law was staring at him with an unamused expression which made Ace think that the doctor was actually being serious. Why the hell did Law even want it? Ace opened his mouth but Law slapped his hand over Ace's mouth to shut him up.

"If you want to help Sam, then give me a sample of your damn semen and do it soon."

Law promptly turned on his heel and walked out of the room. The door slammed shut behind Law and Ace still sat there with his face burning at what he was expected to do. However getting over his shock Ace reached for his belt buckle._ Might as well get started with this…_

Trying to fight off the blush that was painted on his face Ace knocked on the infirmary door. Law whipped it open and snatched the cup from Ace's hand before slamming the door in his face. Fighting down flames of anger Ace calmly knocked on the door once more. This time Rayne answered it. "Hey, I'm sorry that Law just did that but he's on the verge of a breakthrough with this damn virus-."

"Either shut the damn door or get out and shut the damn door!" Law snarled from his place hunched over his work space.

Rayne slithered out the door and shut the door behind her, "We figured out that there is something in semen that causes a reaction to the virus. However we didn't know if it was just Law's or if it's just any semen at all."

Ace's jaw set, "Exactly _how _would he know this?" He hissed.

Rayne seemed to realize what she was insinuating, "No! No, no, no, no, no, no, _no! _Law _did not _sleep with Sam! No, he was working on devising a specific contraception pill for me so that when we… well… you know, that the pill will block all other… samples… as well as Law's especially well."

"How does this have anything to do with the present subject of the conversation?"

"I was getting to that!" She smacked him on the arm to shut him up, "As I was saying, I was playing around with a vial of it teasing him when I accidentally dropped it and it mixed with the virus. At first Law was about to kill me when we noticed that something happening to the virus. Law looked through the microscope and noticed that the virus was sizzling a bit and beginning to die off. That's why he needs your semen. He wants to see if it was only his or if yours will work as well."

Ace nodded, "I guess I can understand that. Do you think it'll work?"

"I would go in there and figure out how well it's going but I don't feel like getting a venomous tongue lashing from Law."

"I can understand that, how do you even stand to be around him?"

"Well, when he isn't under all of this stress he's pretty laid back. In fact he makes a great captain most days. It's just times like this…"

Ace ruffled Rayne's hair affectionately. In the short time he'd known the girl he couldn't help but feel like a bit of an older brother to her. In a way she reminded him of a smarter Luffy, "Don't worry, if this works then everyone will be on an easy track."

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Hey guys, I'd really like to hear what you guys think! Reviews are definitely appreciated!^ _^


	23. Chapter 23

**Ace 22**

**Sam's Pov**

Carefully taking in the water that was handed to me I was trying not to spill the cup's contents. It had been about a week since I'd really been completely awake and fully functional so my motor skills were slightly impaired. Law was watching me like a hawk from his head seat in the galley. Right now it was just Law, Ace, Rayne, Oz, and myself in the galley at the moment.

I'd been awake for maybe thirty minutes now and still they wouldn't tell me what they did to bring me back to the world of the living. All I knew was that Ace was sticking _very _close and Law seemed rather pleased with himself. Once I'd finished my water I looked down at the plate of food in front of me. Honestly I didn't feel all that hungry but I knew everyone in the room would jump down my throat if I didn't eat something.

"How do you feel?" Ace asked anxiously.

I shrugged, "Sleepy but I don't feel like I did earlier on. Will you guys tell me what you did to cure me now?"

Ace blushed crimson, "Maybe later." He muttered.

"As soon as you feel up to it you and Mister Ace can leave as soon as tonight after dinner." Law cut in over a steaming hot mug of coffee.

"Awesome, Law you're the best. Consider your debts to me repaid."

Law smirked, "I already had when I saved your life the first time."

Rolling my eyes I ate some more food, "Shut up you idiot."

"What was that? I could've sworn I heard you order me around."

"Oh really? That's probably because _I did_."

Law glared at me while I just smiled back, "Room."

My smile dropped, "Shit…"

Muttering unintelligible curses I cracked my neck once more as Ace and I arrived in Alabasta. Law had taken it upon him to just pull me apart and throw my body parts all around his 'room' while Ace sat there with wide eyes. Eventually Ace threatened to burn the ship to the ground and Law was about to cut him up when Rayne stepped in. With a little feminine charm I was soon all put together and ready to go as Law and Rayne disappeared out of the galley. I could only image where they disappeared to (wink, wink).

"Stop complaining, you're lucky Law even put you back together at all."

"Shut up Ace at least I didn't sit there and watch in wonder."

"You couldn't! _You _were being thrown around!"

I punched Ace in the stomach and then stomped off down the way, "You are _so _on the couch tonight Portgas D. Ace!"

"Love you too Le Roux!"

Growling I stomped off through the town with Ace smirking behind me the entire way. Already I was beginning to sweat from the heat but Ace looked just fine. Sighing I gave up trying to out walk my gigantor husband. Slowing down I fell into step with Ace who only grinned. Rolling my eyes I continued on. However I jumped slightly in surprise when Ace slid his hand into mine. I looked down at our hands shocked for a moment before settling into it.

I laced my fingers through his and swung our hands a little bit. We walked a bit closer to one another and for once in my life I could pretend that we were just another normal couple enjoying a day out. As much as I felt a pang of envy at all of the normal couples here I just remembered that we got to live freer than anyone else. Stopping for a moment I looked at Ace and smiled. Reaching up on my tiptoes I pecked his lips and then continued on.

Ace started to walk with a taller stride beside me. I laughed a bit and Ace grinned back at me. We walked to a bar and Ace sat down immediately ordering food. I sat beside him and just ordered a drink. "So what are you two visiting here for?" The owner asked kindly. He was polishing a glass while looking at Ace expectantly for an answer.

"Ve're lookingsh forsh a mansh shamed Blackbeardsh-zzzzzzz." Ace immediately fell asleep face first in his food.

"Ah! Miss is he alright?" The owner yelled worriedly.

"Huh?" I looked over to see that Ace had fallen asleep, "Oh yeah, he's alright."

"Oh my are you sure? Are you sure that he didn't eat anything strange like a desert strawberry?"

"Just give him a minute and he'll be right as rain."

"Pwaah!" Ace coughed as he woke back up.

"Aah! He came back to life!" The crowd that had gathered around screamed.

Ace looked around the bar with hazed eyes, "Huh?-Damn I fell asleep again."

All of the people around the bar began to make a big ruckus which caused me to snicker. Ace was always a little dense just after he woke up. I told him long ago that those were his 'Luffy' genes kicking in once again. Of course he didn't find that very funny but I found it freaking hilarious. By now the entire bar looked like they were ready to kill him as he fell asleep again.

"Oh uh by the way have you seen this guy come into town pops? He's wearin' a straw hat." Ace held up Luffy's wanted poster.

Before the owner had a chance to enter someone else did, "I guess you have no problem with eating in public." Smoker said as he appeared in the bar.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Captain Smoker. Should I ask why you've decided to grace us with your presence now?" I cut in.

Smoker glared at me, "What are you two doing here?"

"Well, we're on a quest to find our idiot brother." Ace answered with a crazed grin.

Smoker said nothing as he glared at the two of us, slowly reaching for his sword.

"So? What should we do?" Ace prompted.

"Sit tight and allow me to arrest you."

"Rejected. Sor~ry, no can do." Ace laughed.

Smoker started forward, "I'm actually looking for a different pirate so I'm not that interested in you."

"Then let us go."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?" I asked miffed.

"Because I'm a marine and you're a pirate."

"Seriously? _That _is your dumbass reason? Seriously you need to get your priorities straight you ass-backward bastard!" I hissed.

"What was that pirate bi-?"

Smoker was cut off when something crashed into his back. Jerking forward the marine careened into my unsuspecting husband. Through the wall they went and before I knew it Luffy was sitting next to me banging his silverware on the table demanding food. My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"FOOOD COME ON GIVE ME FOOOOOODDDD!" Luffy screamed.

"L-Luffy?" I stuttered still not believing my eyes.

Upon hearing his name the idiotic captain turned to look at me, "Sammy!"

Luffy tossed his arms around me in a huge hug, "Uhh sir… I think you should run." The owner stuttered.

Seeing the food Luffy ignored the nervous owner and began to gobble down enormous amounts of food. In fact I just shied away from the boy because he was getting food literally _everywhere_. I heard rubble began to shake. Peering into the hole that Luffy created when he sent Ace and Smoker through the wall. Ace appeared and looked murderous. However when he noticed who it was sitting next to me at the bar his face broke into that idiotic grin I loved so much. "Hey Lu-!" Ace began but was cut off by Smoker using him to jump ahead.

"Strawhat!" Smoker snarled.

Luffy just continued to eat nonchalantly.

"So you're here too." The marine added.

Still Luffy continued to eat much to the annoyance of Smoker and my amusement.

"Stop eating already!"

Luffy stilled his voracious eating for a moment as if something dawned on him. I sat there with an eyebrow raised as the idiot began to speak with his mouth full. A laugh made its way out of my throat at watching Luffy spit food all over the captain that was just too good! Unfortunately Smoker didn't think so; he was advancing on Luffy. Luffy in return mumbled something else and shoved all of the food into his mouth. Turning around he grabbed my wrist just as he bolted out the door.

A scream was torn from me at the sudden feeling of being tugged around at an absolutely frightful speed. Smoker came barreling out of the restaurant after us with a determined expression. Finally putting my feet down onto the street I ran right alongside Luffy, where the hell was Ace?

**Ace's Pov**

Ace felt annoyance at this unfortunate turn of events. It was great that he had finally found his little brother but that bastard Smoker showed up and chased him away! Gritting his teeth Ace got back up and began to haul ass out of the restaurant. He noticed Smoker screaming for his lieutenant to catch Luffy and Sam. Growling he began to put on the speed, if Smoker laid one finger on her then he would skin the marine alive before burning him to a crisp.

Glaring ahead Ace realized that he had lost them. Letting out a curse Ace continued to run and took an alley to the next street. He guessed most likely that they were going to head toward the docks.

Climbing up onto the rooftops he began to jump from rooftop to rooftop in hopes of spotting them below. After looking around for a little bit Ace finally spotted his wife's red hair next to Luffy's ridiculous hat. Unfortunately just as he was about to get to them Luffy and Sam were cornered by Smoker. Jumping as high into the air as he could Ace gathered fire into his hand, "Heat haze!"

Ace smirked as he got the fire right where he wanted it. "You may be smoke, but I'm fire. Your powers don't stand a chance against mine." He said as he landed to face Smoker. The Marine looked like he was about to kill Ace. That was fine though because the feeling was mutual.

"Ace?" Luffy asked.

"Heh, you haven't changed a bit… Luffy."

"About time you got here dumbass." Sam said in a deadpanned voice.

Ace sighed, "Sorry Sammy but to my credit I did have my face meet the ground on many occasions."

Luffy cocked his head to the side, "What are you doing here?"

"Well we can't talk like this. You guys run and I'll catch up to you. I need to stay here and stop these guys for you."

"Alright Ace."

"Sam go with them, I can handle this."

Ace could practically feel Sam's angry glare on his back, "If you think that I'm going to leave you here to fight the marines alone then you're as stupid as Luffy!"

"Hey!"

"Sam go with Luffy! As much as I love you, _you _distract me in ways I don't need right now!"

Ace turned around to look at his opinionated wife to emphasize his point. Sam's gaze met his and her eyes searched his for the briefest moment before she nodded and went over to him, "Kick his ass within an inch of his life." She ended her statement with a fiery kiss.

Ace and Sam broke apart and he grinned, "Will do wifey."

Sam was then picked up by Luffy and they were running once again. Ace watched them go for only a second before whipping around and dodging Smoker. "Well, my wife is very domineering as you've seen and she's given me explicit orders and well… being me I'm not one to disappoint my lady." Starting up a batch of fire in his hand Ace leapt up into the fight.

**Sam's Pov**

"So I'm not surprised to see that you have a brother but what is he doing in the grand line?" A man with green hair asked.

"He's a pirate looking for One Piece." Luffy replied stupidly, "He left the island three years earlier than me."

"What are the odds of both of you eating a devil fruit?" Sanji asked. He had been very kind to make our acquaintance as soon as he met me.

"I know I was surprised too! The last time we'd met he didn't have devil fruit powers and even when we were kids I could never best him in a fight. He's really strong!"

"It's true, I had a better chance of beating Ace." I cut in.

"Hahahah! I bet I could beat him now!"

"And just who-?" Ace landed right where Luffy was sitting and kicked our younger brother onto the floor, "Can you beat?"

"Ace!"

"Yo." He turned to the rest of Luffy's Crew, "Thanks for taking care of my idiot brother."

"Oh it was no problem." Nami smiled with eyes closed.

"So why are you here Ace?" Luffy asked.

Ace grinned, "I take it you didn't get my message. Anyways, I'm glad I saw you. I'm here for a silly little task so I figured that Sam and I'd try to meet up with you. Luffy… will you come join the "Whitebeard Pirate crew?" With your friends of course."

"Nope."

Ace laughed at Luffy's reply. I rolled my eyes and then walked over to where Ace was. He grinned and tossed his arms around me. He placed his face into the conjunction of my neck and shoulder. Feathering a light kiss upon the skin there he whispered a sweet nothing into my ear before looking up to where Luffy was once more. He looked to me and I nodded, knowing that he was going to give Luffy a Vivre card.

"Here, Sam and I wanted to give you this. Always keep it with you."

"Huh? It's a piece of paper."

I chuckled, "Luffy that piece of paper will allow us to meet up with you again."

"Wow…"

"Don't want it?"

"No… I do!"

Ace smiled as we fondly looked at Luffy, "Having a little brother sure does make an older brother worry."

"An older sister too." I added.

"You all take care of him for us…"

"Are you leaving already?" Luffy whined.

"We can't stay. A bastard named Blackbeard murdered some of our crewmates, one of the worst crimes there is on a pirate ship. As the commander I have to finish him off. If it wasn't for that then I would be back in this part of the sea."

"Then what is Sammy doing here?"

"I have my own person that I'm hunting down and we received good information that who I'm searching for is traveling with Blackbeard." I replied.

We both went over to the edge of the ship and I smiled at seeing Ace's skiff. It had been a really long time since I'd sailed on that thing. Ace fastened his arms around my waist and picked me up, "Ready?" I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. Ace leapt off of the side railing onto the skiff and set off at a fast pace. Unfortunately we noticed the marine ships that had gathered in the bay. "You wanna do it or should I?" he asked.

"How about together?" I suggested. Ace smirked and tightened his hold on me. Crouching for a moment he gathered up his energy. With one large kickoff from his skiff, Ace and I were launched into the air. The marines clamored beneath us as we rocketed over their ships. My lovely husband then smirked and gathered the fire in his hand before sending it down toward them.

We both landed back on the skiff while the marine ships were destroyed. Ace grinned down at me before stooping down for a kiss. I gladly returned it but then broke the kiss with a sneeze. "Are you alright Sam?" Ace asked worriedly. I was going to reply when another sneeze racked my body. Wriggling my nose in discomfort I couldn't stop sneezing. Ace turned the skiff and headed back toward Luffy's ship.

"What are you all doing back here?" Zoro asked as Ace brought me up onto the deck. Sneezes still racked my body which prevented me from answering. Without any words Chopper came over to me and began to check up on all of my vitals. Once he had deduced that I wasn't sick he then brought Ace a little ways over to talk to him privately.

"Neh, are you alright sis?" Luffy asked as he came over.

I gave him a thumbs up before sneezing again. _What is my problem?_

Chopper came over, "Open for me one more time."

As I opened my mouth he peered in and made a 'hm' noise and then said I could close my mouth. With yet another sneeze I waited to hear what the adorable reindeer had to say. "Well, I've looked at Sam and I think she's just having a mild allergic reaction to the pollen outside. I'll give her an allergy shot to see if that helps her."

Chopper brought out the syringe. I took one look at that needle and that was it. There was no way that I was about to have that stuck in my arm! "Y-achoo!- ya know what? I think that-achoo!- I'm gonna be alright! I think that-achoo!- I can fight this on my own!" The others didn't look so convinced.

"Sam please sit still so I can give you this shot!"

"No way you psychotic little-achoo!- reindeer-human, there is -achoo!- _no _chance of you sticking that-achoo!-syringe in my arm!"

"Sam just sit down and let him do this." Ace sighed.

"Achoo- No way!"

Ace sighed as he walked toward me. Sneezing I jumped onto my feet, preparing to run. Unfortunately for me Ace was faster and snatched me up into a huge bear hug. I screeched and was attempting to kick him in any available place when he shook me. My head spun like the earth. Falling limp in his embrace I groaned.

Chopper stuck the syringe in my arm as carefully as he could manage. Groaning in pain I glared at him through tearful eyes. The reindeer gave me a reassuring smile while placing a bandage over the site where he'd inserted the syringe. After that things started clearing up little by little over the course of about two hours. During that time Ace didn't let me out of his lap.

"So are you going to stay with us for a bit?" Luffy ventured.

"I don't know. Sam and I got information that Blackbeard was seen somewhere in Yuba so that's where we're headed."

Vivi's face lit up slightly, "Then you're going where we're going."

"Really?"

"Yes, here we're crossing up through the Sandora River to Erumalu and then from there we'll go from inland all the way to Yuba."

Ace nodded and I gently took the map from Vivi's outstretched hand. Studying it I narrowed my eyes because I knew Teague to often set up near the edges of the Sandora River just to the Northeast of Yuba. If I had any chance of finding him then it would be around there. Handing the map back I then pushed myself out of Ace's embrace onto my feet. Stretching out I felt a bit of dizziness but other than that I was fine.

"Sam?" Ace asked.

I smiled, "Then I guess we travel with our idiot brother for a bit."

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Alright guys we finally made it to the Yuba ark! Anyways I'll take most of the events from this ark from the anime but just know that I probably will either omit certain parts and I most likely won't copy the dialogue word for word.

Anyways that's pretty much it!

Review por favor ^_^


	24. Chapter 24

Okay guys so I know it's been a week since I updated but I was moving my grandparents to my credit! Anyhow! yes, I know this chapter is a little bit choppy so i apologize for that and of course I kinda threw in a bit of a randomish lemon, but eh... YOLO!

Anyways I would really appreciate comments to see what I could improve, what you guys liked or didn't and that of the like!

Soo... 3 COMMENTS FOR THE NEXT UPDATE ^_^

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**Sam's Pov**

I groaned, bored out of my mind. We were scheduled to land before long but lately all we'd done was just sit around. Ace was either catching up with Luffy or eating so I was often on my own. Unfortunately Sanji noticed this as well and decided to keep me company most of the time. I had no wish to spend my time with him but the dude didn't seem to get it. There were a few times where Ace had caught the horndog and it wasn't pretty but most of the time my lovely husband wasn't around. Luckily we were just about there.

We all gathered on deck to watch the coast come nearer and nearer. I felt mixed feelings about arriving here. Vivi, herself seemed rather thoughtful and contemplative. The Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, on the one hand, were eager to go ashore and experience whatever awaited all of us. When Nami had docked the ship, Luffy leapt off and ran in the direction of what looked like to me was a town with buildings close in the distance. "We made it! Yuba!" My idiot brother exclaimed happily but then he looked around, closer this time. "Huh? Wait a minute … there's nothing here! Let's go and find the army already!"

Of course he meant the Rebel Army's leader, but as I looked at the town, I could barely imagine that there was anybody left around here. It looked … empty, dead. Ace came over to where I was standing and I pressed myself into his side. He slid a comforting arm around my waist and hugged me closer. "I don't like this…" I whispered.

"Luffy, this isn't Yuba yet," Vivi corrected. "We still have to walk north-west through the desert for a bit until we get there."

"How much is a bit?" Usopp asked, and Vivi gladly brought out their map. "We crossed the Sandora River and now we're here at Erumalu."

"Wasn't it once called the 'Green Town'?" I asked.

"Green Town?" Luffy's tone was incredulous. "There's nothing green around here at all!"

He was right of course, for miles it was nothing but desert, and honestly the sand was slowly swallowing up the shell of this city that had probably been very beautiful at one point. It saddened me to see this, it reminded me of what happened to my own island. It had been a place of amazing beauty and Teague destroyed it all. The only thing left there were dilapidated ruins accompanied by bitter memories.

Vivi looked down with a sad expression, "No, not anymore … it's all dead…" a moment after, a strange animal shot straight from the water next to the ship onto the land. I looked at the small animal strangely. It was cute in an odd way, like a turtle mated with a seal to produce… this thing. The animal held its left arm up high and had a determined look on its face, it was so adorable that I squealed from the cuteness.

"KUO!" The thing exclaimed.

"Gaaaah!" Usopp screamed. He happened to be standing right next to where the thing had decided to show up.

"The hell? Is that thing turtle?" Zoro called out.

"A seal?" Usopp began to scooch a bit closer to the animal. A small smile was on my face as Ace just chuckled. This animal was just so damn cute … I could die!

"No, that's a Kung Fu Dugong!" Vivi screamed. "Usopp stay away from it!"

"Kung Fu? Did you just say Kung Fu?" Usopp asked confused.

"KUO!" the Dugong chittered as if it was confirming what Vivi and Usopp had said, and in the next second Usopp was on the ground, littered with lumps and bruises from where the Dugong had unleashed its fury.

"Owww …" he moaned in pain from his crumpled position on the hard ground.

My eyes almost popped out of my head. Had I just seen that right? Had that adorable little animal just utterly _destroy _one of Luffy's crew. Beside me Ace had released me to lean forward on his hands to get a better look, his mouth dropped wide open.

Vivi brought one hand up to her mouth. "They're strong …" Her tone suggested that she was worried.

_Well… I can see where she's coming from. If that thing was able to easily do that… what do we do now?_ I thought dryly as the Dugong was now standing with both fists in the air in a victorious pose.

"You lost … What an utter failure…" Zoro muttered as he smacked his forehead.

Nami cleared her throat to get our attention, "Uhm… it looks to me that we have a winner over there …" She pointed at Luffy who had a pile of Dugongs lying around him beaten down.

"Don't beat them, either!" Vivi screeched, unfortunately the Dugongs bowed at Luffy. "It's Kung Fu Dugong law that the loser of a fight becomes the winner's student…"

"Okay… that is cool but jacked up at the same time." I mentioned as more Dugongs suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They crowded around Luffy who ran through a few more fighting stances. Ace chuckled and looked at me. I looked up at him. A boyish grin split his face as he placed a peck on my lips. Unfortunately we were interrupted by a scream from Vivi.

"How did you manage to get so many?" Vivi yelled. Luffy shrugged as he started to walk forward. "Wait! The Dugong can't survive in the desert! We need to get rid of them." She added. I watched as they argued on how to get rid of them. Honestly I didn't think it was that hard. I mean with my devil fruit powers I could always just keep them there until we were far enough away.

Unfortunately it seemed that they weren't coming up with anything at all. "You know I could always use my devil fruit powers to hold them here until we're about sixty miles away." I offered. The crew seemed to think about it but in the end Chopper decided to talk to them and in the course of about five short minutes we were on the way with half of the supplies we'd had before. Everyone was in a pretty bad mood but I was indifferent if not a little creeped out. I had no wish to be here but at the same time I was used to seeing such signs of destruction.

By the time I'd tuned back into the explanation Vivi was just finishing her explanation of what happened to the town. "Even in Alabasta, we never had to worry about rainfall …" Vivi went on, "but there was always one place that got had rain. The capital, Alubarna, where I grew up." She sighed. "The people from there called it the 'King's Miracle' … well… they did up until one day …"

She began to explain about how a huge amount of Dance Powder had been 'accidentally' found, while the deliverers emphasized the fact that they were to deliver it to King Cobra, Vivi's father apparently. _Dance Powder… nothing new about that shitty substance… _I mused. Vivi then mentioned how Crocodile made her father seem unreliable and traitorous to the Alabasta's people.

"Wow your dad's evil Vivi!" Luffy exclaimed. Of course he immediately earned himself a kick in the head by Sanji for daring to talk such bullshit and Vivi herself sighed. She looked at the ground in front of her feet and I felt bad for her. As she knelt down, she continued talking on the treachery and intrigues that led the country into civil war. I felt so bad for her. While my situation was a bit similar I never had to watch my parents be accused of something like that. And I certainly hadn't watched my island be ravaged slowly and painfully like this.

Vivi found a skull buried into the sand. She picked the skull up and pressed it to her forehead. She continued to speak but I had stopped listening. There was something about this place that was now further unnerving me. "CROCODILE!" Vivi screeched, "What right does he have to do those things?" Ace of course was over by Vivi trying to console her. He dug a hole for Vivi to bury the skull. I glared at the ground, not liking the jealous flash that snagged at my insides. Why the fuck was I so jealous? I mean Vivi was nice and Ace was just being a stupid guy! It's not like they were getting together!

Shaking it off I began to head in the direction we needed to go. "C'mon guys, this place is freakin' me out." Luffy muttered as he shuffled his hat lower on his head and began to walk off. I walked in time with my little brother and flung a comforting arm over his shoulders. He allowed me a small smile as we walked on. I could feel Ace's eyes on my back but I wasn't turning back around to talk to him at the moment. The pit in my stomach was still burning hot.

"Aaaaaah … It's sooooo hooooottt…"

"Would you stop moaning already, Luffy? Every time you open your big mouth to complain you're wasting energy!" Nami scolded my little brother. I glared at her, unamused. I could understand slightly how uncomfortable it was. I, myself, felt a touch on the cooked side.

"Aaaaaah … I'm burning … can't even sweat … I'm gonna dieeeee…" He continued.

Indeed, it was hot – super scalding actually, we were in the desert of Alabasta after all. We hadn't even been walking all that long either. Unfortunately all of us seemed to be uncomfortable in the unrelenting sun and heat. Especially poor Chopper because he'd grown up on a winter island as I had gathered, plus the fur didn't seem like it would keep him all that cool either. In the end, Zoro had been elected to drag the poor reindeer along on an improvised sled, for the poor creature couldn't even walk another step.

_Poor Chopper… I wish I could help…_ I thought since I felt grateful to him. Unfortunately there wasn't much I could do for him. I mean I was already burning now and I didn't have fur. I couldn't image the world of discomfort.

"I can't stand the heat … I'm just fine in the cold …" Chopper panted hard, his tongue dangling out of his mouth.

"It's because you're all fuzzy," Usopp informed him, and then asked: "Why don't you take that hat off?"

Chopper immediately went into human form with an angry look, "What was that? Don't mess with a reindeer, punk!" he yelled at Usopp whom in return screamed in fear.

Zoro rolled his eyes. "Chopper, shrink or else I won't pull you!"

It seemed that the only ones that were okay in the heat were Vivi, who had grown up here, and Ace my dumbass husband. Since he was a fire user he seemed fine in heat. In fact it looked to me that Ace seemed to be in his natural surroundings. The fire fruit user caught me looking back at him and shot me a boyish grin from where he was walking beside Vivi. I just turned around and bit back the bubbling, angry words at the tip of my tongue. What pissed me off the most was that I cared about this.

In a bit we stopped for a water break and of course the straw-hat crew got into a fight with one another. I shook my head and sat down. At the present moment my head felt a bit foggy. Someone sat down next to me but by the way it got unpleasantly hot I found it to be Ace. "Are you alright Sammy?" He tried to put his arm over my shoulder.

I shrugged it off, "I'm fine."

"You're not acting fine."

"It's hot, too hot."

Ace fixed me with a look, "What's the matter, really?"

"I'm. Fine. Quit heckling me about it!"

Ace stood up with an angry look, "Fine, I don't know what the hell I did but when you're willing to tell me let me know."

"Just go away!"

"Happily!"

Ace stormed off back to his spot beside Vivi as I took off in front of Luffy next to Zoro. I liked the swordsman well enough because he cared enough to ask what was wrong if I had a problem but he wasn't one to pry. Zoro spared me a single look before he shouldered his pack and the sled string before keeping pace with me.

I was absolutely brimming with anger. How dare he! I mean how did he _not _know that he was being a total dick at the moment? Gritting my teeth I tried to keep my absolute anger under wraps because when I got angry I didn't think and this was usually when someone ended up dead. "You wanna-?"

"Shut up Roronoa." I hissed.

"Jeez woman! I was just seeing if you wanted to talk about it."

"I don't wanna talk."

"Fine then."

It was about four more hours before the group decided that it would be wise to stop. Ace was in charge of building the fire while Sanji prepared the food. Aside from those two everyone was in charge of putting up their own tents and tying down the supplies. Once that was all finished we gathered around the now roaring fire. Ace and I still weren't talking so I sat as far away from him as possible without sitting outside of the heat radius of the fire.

"Here! Have some dinner my lovely crimson beauty~" Sanji said as he handed me the freshly prepared meal.

I smiled brightly at him, "Thank-you so much Sanji." Ace frowned from across the fire at us but I didn't give a shit. If he was going to be all 'helpful' with Vivi then I should be able to have a conversation with Sanji. Either way until he apologized I wouldn't be talking to him any time soon. Tucking into my food I smiled at the taste of it. _This was almost as good as... thatch… _I bit back the tears that threatened to spill. I missed Thatch so much. He was a really cool guy that didn't deserve to die! Neither did Valerie! Just thinking of those two made me want to curl up and cry myself to sleep.

As the night wore on it got colder and colder. I was shivering horribly and the heat from the fire was doing nothing for me at the moment. Chopper, Zoro, Luffy, and Usopp were all huddled together as Nami was closer to the fire and Vivi and Ace were talking together. Drawing my arms around my folded legs I pulled them closer to me and rested my head on my knees. I gazed into the dancing flames with listless attention. Yeah, I was cold but I was not about to move closer to Ace and the fire.

Putting my head down on my legs I closed my eyes and shivered in misery. However I felt a familiar warm arm over my shoulder. "What the fuck are you doing Portgas?" I snarled at him quietly. Ace wasn't deterred by my tone or scathing comment. He tightened his hold and brought me in closer to his side. Growling I bit him on the shoulder, "Let me go!"

"Sam, you're freezing and don't lie. So please for once put aside your pride and just accept some help. I love you, you idiot. I don't know why you're so mad at me but I can tell you right now that I love you and as frustrating as you may be that will never change."

My resolve broke and I slumped into his frame, "I'm sorry… I… I was jealous…"

Ace laughed boisterously, "_Jealous_? Over what?"

"You and Vivi! I mean you were always talking to her and helping her out at every turn that I just felt…jealous! And I hated you for the fact that I was feeling jealous over you."

Ace buried his face in my neck and placed a burning kiss, "You," Another kiss, "My darling are completely," another kiss, "Insane. I love you and only you and you should have no reason to be jealous because you are the only one I want."

"I know… sometimes I just can't help it. I mean I'm not the perfect person."

"Agreed."

I smacked him upside his head, "Idiot you're not supposed to agree with me! You're supposed to say that I'm perfect in your eyes!"

Ace sat up and grinned once more, "Now that is my wife." He chuckled. Picking me up Ace sat me in his lap and curled his arms around me. I rested my head on his shoulder and just sat there contentedly. It was funny how we could take one another's heads off at the drop of a hat and then forgive one another just as soon as it was over more or less. I snuggled into his warm chest and he hugged me closer in return.

"I'm sorry for being jealous… I'm just not used to having women all over you…" I whispered.

Ace chuckled, "I love you Sammy, jealous or not."

"I love you too idiot flame head."

"So does this mean I get to sleep inside the tent with you tonight?"

Rolling my eyes I smacked him on the arm, "Fine, but don't think you're getting anything tonight!"

His face dropped immediately, "B-but why not?"

"Because, we. Have. Company."

Ace looked over to where the rest of the strawhats were laughing and playing around and sighed. Smiling I decided to be devious. Littering kisses all on his neck I made sure to hit his soft spot. Ace groaned lowly in an attempt to keep from catching the other's attention. "Woman… if you don't quit I will throw you down and take you here and now. Crowd or not." He growled in my ear. I chuckled but none the less continued what I was doing. I was going to test if he was serious or not. Already I could feel a bit of a hard on started in his pants. "_Samantha, I'm not kidding_."

"Oh I know, I'm just seeing how long you'll hold out before this gets risqué~"

"You don't want to go down this road."

"Oh yeah I do. This is good entertainment for me."

"Sam I'm serious and I do mean _serious. _If you don't stop _right now _then I will take you. I swear I will. _So stop being a cock tease._"

I ground my hips down on his in a sultry manner, this was just too easy. "Nah, I think I'll continue."

"Then don't hold me accountable for what's going to go down."

Ace stood up and everyone looked at us. "Sorry but I think it's time we go and work out some things in private." He then shouldered me and walked off. Growling I started to hit his back and screech. This was not a part of my plan at all; I mean I figured he wouldn't actually do it. So all in all this was an unforeseen event.

The flaming idiot arrived at our tent and ducked inside. As soon as the flap was pulled shut he grabbed my hair out of its tie. Grinning I reached up and brought his lips to mine. Company be damned it had been too long.

**Third Person **

Things heated up exponentially. Ace was already working on Sam's top by now. His pants were straining but there would be plenty of time for that later. Right now he was focused on pleasing his lady. Ripping her top off the devil fruit user trailed his lips from her jaw down to her chest. Grinning the ravenette took a look at her succulent chest before trailing his tongue over a single rosy nipple.

A choked gasp exited from Sam's mouth as her hands clawed at his back. "Ace!" She cried. Ace chuckled and continued to lick all around her nipple until he finally hand mercy and took her rosy bud into his mouth. He swirled the sensitive bud around and around until finally he decided to give the other one similar treatment.

Of course after a bit he got bored with that and popped her other nipple off out of his mouth. Kissing a trail down her tight stomach Ace got to the edge of her shorts. Just as he was about to remove those Sam whipped him onto his back. Pinning his wrists down she bit hard into the junction of his neck and shoulder. Ace yelped slightly in surprise at what she had done. However what he was even more surprised about was that she had managed to tie him up!

Ace pulled at the ropes but found that he wasn't able to escape from the bonds. Figuring that he would be able to just send them up in flames he conjured up a few but found that he was unable to burn them while he was at it! "Sam what the hell are these ropes made of?" He groaned.

Sam grinned slyly, "Sea-stone infused ropes, won them in a bet a few years ago~"

"Woman get these off of me!"

"Nah, you were in control the last million times so this time you're just going to sit here while I do what I do. These," She tugged on the ropes, "Will make sure that you won't be taking over any time soon."

"Samanth-ah!"

Sam cut Ace off by swiftly ripping his short's zipper down and taking his member out. Flicking out her tongue she ran it over the slit. Once Sam was sure that Ace was completely out of it she began to lap at his burning cock like a lollipop. Her hand ran up and down the heady flesh, squeezing at intervals. Ace was squirming and whining at Sam's touch but the woman wasn't about to let up.

Giving the head a light kiss Sam brought her sinful lips back up to his neck. Ace groaned as she gave sugary kisses on his jaw. "Sam… please… _please _just get on with it. I swear my cock is going to burst!" Ace begged. Sam grinned at her restricted husband, she liked this. Seeing him on his back tied up and completely bothered just made Sam feel hot. Chuckling she began to litter his chest with bites.

Gingerly taking his right nipple into her mouth Sam began to give him the treatment she'd previously endured. Ace groaned and attempted to buck his hips up into her but Sam foresaw this and arched as well so that his burning sword wasn't able to brush anything but air. Ace fell back against the sleeping roll with a defeated 'thunk' as Sam continued her menstruations.

Finally Sam made her way back down to his member. She was seated in between his thighs, giving the insides of his thighs light licks. Ace was trembling by now, his penis pulsating so horribly that he thought he'd die from being denied for so long. Though eventually Sam took pity on him and engulfed his hot cock into her mouth. Her sinful tongue brushed the underside of his hot meat, along that agonizingly sensitive vein.

Ace couldn't help it any longer as he thrust into her mouth as hard as he could. The pleasure the commander was experiencing at the moment was like nothing he'd ever felt. In fact he was sure that he could possibly die from it. Sam deep throated him while pulling lightly on his balls. Then she sucked hard on him while altering her hands on what didn't fit in her mouth. "Sam!" He yelled she suddenly slid her tongue across his sensitive slit. He felt his balls tighten and he knew that he was about to blow.

Rather than leave him at the precipice like she did the last time Sam continued sucking his penis for all it was worth until Ace came into her mouth. He let out a choked gasp as he attempted once again to break free from his bonds. Falling back on the mat Ace tried to catch his breath. Inside he felt satisfied and a bit disheartened. He should have been the one pleasing her! He should have made sure that she was satisfied before he had his release.

"Sam, untie me."

"As you wish darling, I've had my fun."

Sam undid his bonds and immediately he pinned her down. For a moment he looked at the ropes but decided against them. Tossing the ropes aside Ace finally discarded Sam's shorts and began to rub his thumb over her clit. Sam gasped and wriggled around, her fingers curled in his hair. Ace bit down hard on her shoulder and lapped at the blood that seeped from the shallow wound. Sam screeched in pain at the injury but was soon making lewd sounds.

Ace ripped off her panties and then delved a finger inside of her. An inaudible scream of absolute pleasure came from Sam's mouth as she attempted to buck up into him. Ace, however, was having none of that as he pinned her hips down with his remaining hand. After everything that he had just endured Ace was not about to allow her so much freedom. Sam whined at him but he wasn't about to give into that. He began to scissor and undulate his fingers inside of her to make sure that she was completely ready. The sounds she was giving off now were causing Ace's dick to harden once more; he was about to end all of this foreplay.

Leaning down he placed a long lick upon her cunt and he thought that his devil fruit user lover was about to pass out from the pleasure. Grinning he then began to place long, rough licks upon her and before long was delving his tongue inside of her, "A-Ace-ah- I-I can't-ah!" Sam moaned out breathlessly. Ace chuckled and then gave one hard suck. Sam was immediately cumming on his tongue while the devil fruit user gladly licked it up.

Allowing her to come down off of her high Ace patiently waited. In a few minutes Sam had for the most part caught her breath. Ace then gripped her hips firmly and thrust inside her still slightly sensitive core. Sam screeched and gripped him tightly, "A-Ace! Oh, you feel so amazing! Ah-I've missed this!" She cried out in pleasure.

Ace smiled and began to piston his hips into her. Placing his lips on hers Ace began to slow his hips to a sensual speed. As much as they liked to do things rough, fast, and spicy but something about tonight just made Ace want to make it slow and meaningful. He began to slowly thrust into her as their kisses began to take on a soft, passionate tone. Time just seemed to melt into a standpoint as they continued on. Occasionally Ace would speed up if Sam asked for him to but mostly they kept it sweet and slow.

Ace picked up Sam's legs and hooked them around his hips so that he would be able to get a new angle. Thrusting in once again Sam's grip on his back tightened as red crescents were pressed into his back from her nails. With a few more thrusts the lovers came. Ace collapsed down onto the mat as he rolled over and pulled Sam to rest on top of him. The two basked in each other's afterglow. Sam put her head to rest in the crook of Ace's neck and took a deep breath.

The two laid there for several minutes until Sam suddenly sat up on his thighs. Ace looked at him with an eyebrow quirked, "What are you doing?" He asked.

Sam grinned and gave him a coy kiss, "Round two, sweetheart."

The vixen grabbed Ace's penis in her hand and began to stroke it again. Ace let out a choked gasp. Sam grinned as she went faster and faster until Ace was bucking up into her. His spicy red headed lover laughed at his reaction and once he was hard enough she sat down on him, her slippery feminine heat engulfing him. Ace threw his head back in pleasure and immediately he began to thrust up into her.

Ace's hands were placed on her hips as he went faster and faster. Sweat was pouring off of them as they continued round two of their lovemaking. Sam's feminine moans of pleasure seemed to power Ace to continue on. After a bit though Sam placed a hand on his abdomen to hold him down. She then began to thrust herself upon him tightly. Ace watched on in marvel at Sam. Her breasts were bouncing in time with her thrusts as she went down on him. Her face was twisted in pleasure and Ace was sure his was too.

The coil of pleasure tightened in his gut as Sam continued to go up and down on him. Sam herself was lost in the pleasure as well. All around the world didn't exist. The only thing that existed was herself and this man below her. She was absolutely intoxicated off of him at this moment and she loved it. Only this man was able to make her feel the way she was feeling. He was the only one able to make her feel utterly pleasured and loved. Sam moved against him harder and faster until that coil that had tightened immeasurably in both of them released. They once again mixed with one another before finally Sam collapsed on top of him.

**Ace's Pov**

Ace felt something wet against his shoulder right where Sam was lying. Pulling back a bit he noticed that there were tears leaking out of Sam's eyes. Fear struck through Ace like a knife. What happened? What had he done to her? Was she hurt? All of these questions and more shot through him as he turned to fully face Sam. "Sam, what's wrong? Did I hurt you? Are you alright? Sam? Please just talk to me a-!"

Sam buried her face into his chest, "I'm alright, I-I swear… I just… I love you. Only you can… god here I go being all mushy again…"

"Sammy you're confusing the shit out of me, are you alright?"

"Y-yes I just… I really love you."

Ace's gaze softened, "I love you too, I really do." He emphasized his statement with a sweet kiss.

Sam broke the kiss and Ace pulled her into his arms, "Sorry for getting all emotional on you…"

"I'd take this over how you were when we first met up again."

Sam giggled a bit as she wiped some residual tears away, "Shut up idiot."

"Love you too Le Roux."


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey there guys, well you all gave me three reviews so true to my word i updated quickly ^_^ AHHHHHH the world is going to end! XD**

**anyways Comments are great, 4 for the next chapter to be posted as quick as I can get it out. **

**As usual what ya liked, want more of, what i could improve upon, ECT.**

* * *

**Sam's Pov**

Opening my eyes I yawned. Sweat was covering my body and the heat was uncomfortable. Groaning I rolled over to see Ace's arm was slung over me. He was snoring like usual and completely asleep. His hand was clapped on my shoulder tightly. His naked body was also pressed up tightly against mine. I was positively burning!

Grabbing his arm I was attempting to move it off when Ace opened his eyes, one brow quirked. I chuckled awkwardly, "Uhm… you were melting me…" I blushed when he started to laugh. Sitting up I smacked him and then proceeded to get dressed. The idiot just whined and sat up as well.

"Whyyyy are you getting dreeeessed?" He whined.

"Cause I have places to be."

"What places are those?"

"Places far away from you so you can't laugh at me."

Ace's mouth dropped open, "Sammy come on! You know I was just kidding with you! I wasn't laughing at you!"

"Ugh."

I walked out of our tent toward the guys. Behind me Ace was calling for me to stop. Whirling around I was about to yell at him when an amused smirk came to my face. Apparently the idiot forgot about last night and the fact that he wasn't wearing any clothes. "Ya know darling, as much as I love seeing you naked I don't think Luffy or a few others of the crew would have the same opinion."

Ace looked down at himself and blushed, "Shit… don't go anywhere I'll be right back!" Chuckling I shook my head and walked to where the others were seated. As I came towards them I noticed that all of them were with looking into the same direction with worried expressions. Well… everyone but Luffy… that dude never seemed to be worried about anything.

"Something is coming this way …" Chopper stood on a rock to try and get a better look.

"Huh?" Luffy cocked his head to the left like usual as he asked his question.

"What … what_ is_ that? It doesn't look like anything I've seen…" Usopp muttered.

Ace finally showed up next to me, "Hey there, I thought I told you not to…" Ace trailed off as he looked in the direction everyone else was. He narrowed his eyes at what he saw and pulled me toward him some, "That looks quite like a storm… and not one we want to be caught in..."

The 'storm' as Ace called it was sort of greyish, it was high and looked like a giant spinning pillar, and it was approaching us at an incredibly fast pace. The closer it got the more I began to worry. _This doesn't look good…_

"Oh no! Quick! Take shelter behind the rocks here! We don't want to get caught in that!" Vivi suddenly yelled as she took off for the nearest rocks she could get to..

"Huh? What was that?" Luffy asked dumbfounded.

"That's … It's a sandstorm! Hurry up and get to cover before it's too late!"

Ace shadowed his eyes with his hand to get a better look at it. I wanted to back away from it but with Ace's hold on me, I wasn't going anywhere. "Uh-oh … Ace… Ace please let's run!" I called out as fear began to course through me. I didn't want to be out in the open when this thing hit!

The rest of the straw hat crew did as Vivi instructed, but Ace seemed to be undecided on whether to run or not. Which meant that I was not going anywhere either. "Ace…" I whispered in fear. Ace was still staring at the sandstorm from underneath his hat as it got closer.

It began to get closer, "Ace… Ace seriously, we should run!"

Closer and closer it got, "Ace! Please!" I screeched. It seemed that Ace came back to reality as he gripped me tightly and held me to his chest.

The sandstorm hit us at full force.

I buried my face into Ace's chest and attempted not to scream. My skin was positively alive with pain as the miniscule bits of sand lashed at every bare piece of skin there was. The wind speed and force was incredible. If it wasn't for Ace I most likely would have been blown away by now. Luckily for Ace the string that was in his hat caught around his neck and prevented that damn ugly hat from blowing away.

Honestly, not many things utterly scared me but at this point I was a bit frightened. A desert was not one of my usual terrains. I was used to forests and seas so I was not comfortable with this. I clung to Ace for all I was worth and attempted to keep the sand out of my nose, eyes, and mouth. _This has got to end soon! _I thought desperately.

After what seemed like an eternity, the storm calmed down, and the sun shone brightly. Sand was piled up all around us, wedging us in. "Sam, are you alright?" Ace asked in a strained voice. I was freaking out at the moment. I absolutely hated to be boxed in anywhere, a ship not included in that, and this sand all around us was freaking me out. It felt difficult to breathe which just sped up my shallow breathing even more. "Sam, are you alright?" Ace asked again, more serious this time.

Clawing my way out of the sand I managed to arrive at the surface. All at once I took in a deep breath and curled up on the burning sand in a ball. In a few seconds Ace was by me with a hand on my shoulder. "Sam, speak to me what the hell is going on?" Ace demanded. I shook his hand off of my shoulder and focused on my breathing. With any luck I would be back to normal before long.

"What's going on with Sammy?" Luffy yelled as he came over.

"I don't know Lu. She won't talk to me!"

"HEEEYYYYY SAM COME ON AND TALK TO USSSS!"

I finally got my breathing back, "Shut up you idiot! I'm claustrophobic!"

Luffy cocked his head to the left, "Huh? What does claustro-whatever mean?"

"It means I can't stand tight spaces, now can we just find the others and move on?"

Ace picked me up onto my feet and we went searching for the others who hadn't surfaced yet. A few feet away, I noticed a dark-blue piece of cloth, _Vivi! _I raced over to where the cloth was and started digging the princess out, hopefully she wasn't suffocating. Finally I uncovered Vivi and once I was halfway through she started to stir and cough the sand out of her lungs.

"Thank … you … I thought I was… done for…" She croaked out.

I was relieved that she was alive and relatively well, but we really needed to find the others, "Let's go on searching, you're the first I could find."

"Yeah, come on maybe Ace has found something."

I glared slightly, Vivi needed to back the hell off my husband! "And Luffy." I added.

Vivi blushed a bit and looked uncomfortable as she began to walk toward where Luffy and Ace were digging Chopper out of the sand. While Vivi went to help them I proceeded to find and dig out Sanji and Nami. Usopp was final person we found and he was blown way away from us. Once everyone was accounted for we gathered our things and started off again.

This damn desert was hotter than hell! I mean it was just hot, so incredibly hot. Sweat dripped down my body all over, and I detest sweat! Not to mention the sun just decided to beat down on us like a bastard! I really just wanted to block out the sun at the moment. Unfortunately I don't think that would happen any time soon.

Gritting my teeth I attempted to pop my knee for the hundredth time. Ever since the sandstorm my knee had felt all out of sorts. From time to time, it seemed like it was better but then it got worse. Honestly though I couldn't decide if the cold was worse than the heat. It annoyed the shit out of me because it went from being crazy hot to insanely cold. Ace of course was happy to lend his heat to me during the cold nights which I didn't complain about. Of course Vivi always had a slight glare on her face at these times which I was completely enjoying. Yes, it was childish of me, and yes, I should've risen above giving an indiscreet display of "mine!" but eh… I am a pirate after all!

However, within the fourth hour of our walking on the third day through this desert, Luffy decided to ask for a break. "Hey Sanji! Let's have lunch now! It's Pirate Lunchbox time!" he grinned but apparently he was going to be foiled because the cook told him that we wouldn't be eating until Vivi decided it was alright for us to.

"Vivi! We need to eat, I'm starving!" the boy yelled at her with a large, goofy grin on his face. I remembered that face because Luffy always used it when he wanted something from me.

The princess furrowed her powder blue brows, "We're not even a quarter of the way to Yuba yet, Luffy! We have to spare our supplies because if we don't it could be bad…"

Luffy frowned at her statement, which was not what he wanted to hear. "Jeez, you're dumb. Haven't you ever heard this proverb? 'Eat when thou art hungry.'"

"Don't talk bullshit Luffy! You just made that up and you know it!" Usopp muttered under his breath.

Vivi smiled heartily, despite the slight insult that was aimed her way, "I understand … Why don't we take a break when reach the next rock? Can you make it that far?"

Luffy's face showed shock and I arched an eyebrow at her words. Honestly this was a wasteland that was nothing but sand. It seemed though that Luffy thought the same thing, "What? The next rock? But Vivi, there's nothing but sand here for miles!"

I sighed and kept on walking beside Ace. Ace kept casting worried glances at me, which I'm guessing he thought I didn't see. Usually I ignored him, since this was kind of usual now days. He always freaked out over my health, even when we were children. Unfortunately Luffy shot off as soon as he saw an outcropping of rocks just as Ace fell asleep, face first in the sand. Growling at him I rolled my eyes and then kneeled down next to him, "Ace wake the fuck up! Now is not the time to be sleeping!" I hissed.

The straw hat crew laughed at this predicament but I wasn't laughing with them. Slapping Ace's face I tried to wake him up but that wasn't doing me any good either. Finally I just looked at them, "Either help me wake him up or continue on and we'll catch up." I sighed. Luffy just decided to leave me while Vivi decided to stay and help me wake him up. To say I wasn't happy about Vivi staying with us was an understatement. I really didn't want her around. I knew that Ace was only interested in me but he was only male after all. I'm sure if she exerted some of her charms he would completely lose all attention to the world like when he sees meat.

"Ya know, you don't have to stay and help me wake him up." I remarked while slapping Ace in the face again.

"It's alright, I'm sure you could use the help."

I narrowed my eyes indiscreetly, "Nah, this is usual. He's been like this ever since we were kids so it's nothing I'm not used to."

"It does take a bit of getting used to but after all of this time I think I'm okay with it."

It was time to strike the blow to figure out if my suspicions were just jealousy, "Yeah well soon enough you'll be rid of us."

"Well I'm sure Ace would like to stay a bit longer after you all find Blackbeard and such."

"Nope, we have explicit orders from Whitebeard. We find that bastard Teach and Teague and then we return to the Moby dick."

Vivi looked up at me, "Well perhaps after that Ace would like to come visit us here."

"I don't know, we're kept pretty busy. We are the commander and lieutenant of the second division. Besides we usually consult each other when having to leave the Moby Dick." I replied back with a sickly sweet smile. _Shut the fuck up and just leave already!_

Vivi glared openly now, "I'm sure that Ace is able to make his own decisions right? Perhaps he would like to visit."

"I'm his wife; he consults me and only me. Now I can tell you right now to back the fuck off of my husband. I've been very lenient and laid back up until this point. Now I'll tell you straight up and to your face. If you try and seduce _my _husband, I'll rip you to bits and string your innards all through this god forsaken desert. _Am I clear?_"

All of the color had drained from Vivi's face, "I-I'm sorry… I just… I mean… I didn't know you two were…"

I looked at her straight in the eyes, "Consider yourself warned, I trust Ace but I don't trust you. Besides, I would think that regaining your country is more important."

Tears came to Vivi's own orbs, "I-I'm sorry… you're right, I shouldn't be looking for things like that with… with my family and all of Alabasta in danger… I-I'm so sorry!" She place her face in her hands.

I was hesitant at first but I placed my hand on his shoulder, "Hey… I can understand. You're under a lot of pressure as of late. I mean you have a chance I never got. You can save your home; I wasn't able to do that. So… in a way I guess I can see why you wanted to find a bit of a distraction. Just… find someone else to be that distraction. Surely you have someone at home who you liked."

"Well, well, well, it's nice to see you two working out your problems."

We both looked to see Ace there lying on the ground smirking, arms behind his head. I glared at him, "How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough to hear you threaten to string her guts half way across the desert."

I grit my teeth and punched Ace in the face, "If you have enough time to eavesdrop then get up and start walking! The rest of Luffy's crew is most likely far ahead by now you idiot!"

"Ow! Sam what happened to the woman to was just telling women to stay away from me? –ow!- seriously I thought you'd be a bit more-ow!- loving or at least-agh!- not punch the shit out of me!"

I punched him once again, "Get up and start moving you idiot! Gah why did I marry an idiot like you?" I hissed.

Ace got up and swung me up into his arms bridal style, "Because you just looooovvvveee how I am in bed."

"Hah! As if! You know I was drunk."

"Ah but you're still mine at the end of the day."

I grinned stupidly at him, "Yeah, I guess I am." I brought his lips to mine in a silly little kiss.

By the time we caught up to the rest of the crew everyone was kind of in panic mode. It seemed that the lovely Straw Hats were in trouble. Something apparently had happened and now Luffy was running after a bunch of birds flying away with… was that their supplies? Luffy almost caught one of the birds when it just out skirted him.

"Give us back our stuff you damn birds!" We heard Luffy yell. Ace and I sweat dropped. Honestly I had no idea how Luffy could still be so dumb after everything that had happened in his life.

"Luffy , don't follow them! How will you get back if you chase them too far?" Nami yelled after him, but our idiot brother didn't even hear her. He was so focused on getting everyone's stuff back that he didn't pay attention to her at all.

"What is it?" Ace asked Zoro who was standing with his arms crossed and a half-bored, half-annoyed expression painted on his face. The swordsman raised his brows at us but none the less sighed and turned to face us for a moment.

"The damn birds tricked him," Zoro explained, looking after his captain. "Even though that's not that hard he managed to snatch our luggage from the idiot."

Ace watched Luffy with a flat expression, "Crap, so he's dumber than a bird?"

"That's just what I said," Sanji muttered. "Now he's off too … just making trouble all the time …"

"Uhm, it looks like he's coming back already." I said, squinting to see if I was indeed correct.

"Huh?" Everybody looked into the direction I was squinting in, and yup: there was the Luffy racing back to us as though the hounds of hell were on his heels.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"What is it, now?" Sanji yelled back to his captain, annoyed.

My eyes opened wide, "Shit! He's being chased by something!"

"Oh no! That's a giant Sandora Lizard!" Vivi screamed in fear as she pointed at the creature chasing Luffy. The lizard was huge…and purple. It looked like a lizard, but this thing was much worse because it was freaking huge!

"A camel? Where did he get that thing?" Ace questioned as eyed the animal running next to Luffy.

"We'd better save it, too then. God why does he always bring trouble?" Sanji said calmly and took a drag from the cigarette he'd lit up earlier. He looked at Zoro and then back at Luffy, "Seems that we should go and rescue the idiot now."

"I'VE GOT OUR LUNCHES!" Luffy announced with his trademark large grin.

Luffy suddenly stopped and his feet slid on the sandy ground. After sliding about five feet he finally came to a halt. Immediately the rubber boy went in fighting stance, and so did the swordsman and the cook. Ace smirked and crossed his arms next to me. I looked up at him and then looked back to Luffy in time to see him, Zoro, and Sanji attack.

"Gum-Gum whip-!"

"Black Leg style-!"

"Dragon Twister!"

The three all landed their attacks on the giant lizard and it was down for the count. I winced slightly while Ace chuckled. Everyone else besides the three monsters looked like they were about to be sick.

"Was that really necessary?" Usopp mumbled, and Nami nodded her head in agreement.

"I'm kinda sorry for the poor lizard. It didn't have any chance against these three …"

With an enormous 'thunk!' that made the earth shake under their feet, the purple being crashed down in a crumpled heap. "Phew," Chopper sighed, but unfortunately for us it wasn't over. The ground behind us started to grumble threateningly and then a bulge grew out of the sand right next to Ace who just looked a bit confused. Once the sand was completely removed from it, we were staring right into another purple lizard's eyes – which, in turn, stared back hungrily. Apparently we were lunch today…

"There's another of those monsters!" Nami yelled.

"Sandora Lizards go hunting in pairs! I'm really sorry, I should have told you before but I didn't remember …" The princess screamed.

"Huh?" Ace asked as the huge creature opened its large jaws. All of its very sharp teeth glinted and the thing let out a menacing, blood-curdling growl in Ace's direction.

"Ace! Be careful!" Vivi, Chopper, and Usopp screamed.

I smiled from my place beside Ace. I knew that he would be just fine; we'd fought worse than an oversized dinosaur wannabe. "Well, do you want this or should I do it?" I smirked at him. I was not all that impressed by the reptile besides it gave off waves of stink from its gaping mouth.

He looked down to me, matching my smirk. "Can I get this or do you want to?"

"Nope," I answered and stepped back. "My leg is bothering me so I don't wanna bother with this reject."

Ace nodded. It seemed that he knew that my leg was bothering me today. He took off his hat and put it on my head, "Watch over this for me. What I'm about to do I don't want my hat to get ruined."

"Fine, go ahead and go do whatever it is." I waved my hand at him dismissively.

"Well then, little boy. Wanna play with me?" He asked the lizard and grimaced as the creature let out another disgusting snarl. "Huh? Just wait, you'll be bomb-happy in a few moments…"

Ace leapt up into the air toward the lizard. The straw hats were screaming, well except for Luffy, at Ace. I stood there bored as I watched him. However when the lizard opened its mouth I began to pay attention a little closer. There was no way that he would really… Yup, he did. Ace jumped right into the stinking lizard's mouth, and in the next moment the lizard's teeth slammed shut to act like a pearly prison.

"ACE!" Vivi and Nami screeched in horror. I narrowed her eyes, and decided to back a few steps up. There was no way that my husband was suicidal like that so he had something up his sleeve. Luckily for me I was smart as the lizard exploded in a huge ball of flames. I hissed as an enormous heat wave rolled over me. It just made this uncomfortable desert heat even worse. _Idiot husband! You could've warned me what you were doing!_

"Aaaaahh!" The straw hats yelled. They gazed on with wide eyes as the fire slowly dissipated and revealed Ace walking towards them in a casual manner. He had that huge, boyish grin on his freckled face which made him look so much younger than he actually was.

"Hey Lu! I got lunch for us!"

I smacked him, "You could've told me what you were doing! You almost burned me to a crisp!"

Ace rubbed the back of his neck, "Heh, does it help to mention that you look ultimately sexy in my hat?"

I smirked with a fingertip to my mouth, "Barely," I turned and grabbed his hand in mine, "Now let's go get some food. I'm starving!"

"Neh Luffy, where did you pick that camel up from?"

"Dunno Sammy. I saved it from some weird plant when I chased the birds for our stuff," he replied, munching on a large piece of meat from the two fried Sandoras. Sanji figured out how to use the hot rocks in the desert as frying pans.

As we all eyed the animal, they came to the conclusion that it wasn't wild camel wince it had a saddle. I kept looking at it because honestly it looked like the gayest camel I'd ever seen. Not to mention it was completely creepy, it kept staring at me and batting its eyelashes! I shuffled closer to Ace and glared at it. Of course Ace was too busy inhaling his meat and keeping Luffy from devouring it.

Chopper apparently knew it from somewhere and soon was conversation with the creeper. It seemed that every few seconds Chopper would mutter something to himself before going back and conversing with the freaky camel some more. I wondered briefly what they were talking about but at the same time I didn't want to go any closer to that thing. Usopp, Sanji and Zoro conversed and talked about how they wanted to ride it and the best way of crossing a desert. Of course Luffy then climbed it in his pleasant anticipation but hadn't even had one leg over the camel's back when the animal turned its head and took him off with its teeth.

"What the hell is his problem?" Luffy asked from the ground, furrowing his brows.

"He says thanks for rescuing me," Chopper translated when the camel moved his mouth and made strange humming sounds again. "But I'll only allow women to ride me, no men."

"You punk! Who do you think just saved your worthless life!"

"How dare you, you fucking stupid camel!"

"You carried Chopper one time, too!" Luffy, Usopp and Sanji started coming at the dumb camel to beat the hell out of him.

"Shove it!" Chopper translated the camel's saying when it showed its snow-white teeth, and the three guys were all over it again. I snickered as they started beating up the camel all over again. I didn't like that damned thing at all.

Nami saw her chance and jumped in, "I'm so sorry my bandits are so mean to you, What should we call you?" she purred and caressed the beaten camel's fur, whose eyes became heart-shaped.

I couldn't help but laugh now because that camel was so similar to Sanji that it was laughable. Soon the camel let Nami ascend and the girl reached for Vivi. I watched the princess jump onto the damn camel and rolled my eyes, wimps. The two girls were already continuing their way with the guys grumbling behind them. "Hey wait for us!" They yelled and ran after the camel. I shook my head and took up my position walking next to Ace. The pyro tossed his arm over my shoulders and we started off once again.


	26. Chapter 26

**Sam's Pov**

I groaned in contempt at the desert. I felt like I was just melting away in this heat. Of course it also didn't help that this place was completely boring. I mean what the hell was I supposed to do in this fucking heat and endless sand?

"Sam you're glaring at the sand again." Ace remarked as he tossed his arm over me.

Any other time I'd gladly welcome his display of affection but not today, "Get your fucking arm off of me!"

Ace recoiled from me, shocked, "What's the matter with you?"

"You're too hot! It's already hot enough without you tossing your arm over me."

"Well just say that instead of snapping at me!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"You piss me off so bad!"

"You're being unreasonable!"

"You're being stupid!"

By now the both of us were in each other's faces. I of course didn't mean to start a fight but this heat was just unbearable. I knew that this wasn't really something to get pissed over and that I was being a bit unreasonable but with this ungodly heat I was just irritated. I did not want to deal with his male ways.

Ace rolled his eyes at me and then turned his back to me, "Whatever." He muttered and walked away. I glared at his tattooed back and decided that he was just being an oversensitive bastard as well. Honestly I didn't care at the moment, I just wanted to get out of this damn heat and sunlight. So I decided to walk next to Zoro. The swordsman gave me a look from the corner of his eyes before he just went back to walking.

A little while later I decided that perhaps it would be a good idea for me to go and apologize to Ace. Walking up to him I stayed just behind and watched his feet. "Uhm… Ace?" I began awkwardly. He didn't answer me and I sighed. I didn't expect him to answer me because he was pretty annoyed with me I guessed. "Listen… I know that I'm not the best with my words and such but… I'm sorry. This heat is just making me a bit irritable and I guess I was just taking it out on you for no good reason. So… I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that… I'm sorry for going off on you like that. You were completely right because I was being unreasonable."

Ace still didn't answer me and I was getting really annoyed. Here I was pouring my guts out and yet he wouldn't even turn around or acknowledge a damn thing I said! "Hey! I'm actually apologizing and admitting I'm wrong for once! At least turn around and look at me!" I yelled as I grabbed his shoulder. Whipping him around my mouth dropped open, he was asleep!

All words vacated my mind… how the hell was he so… so… I didn't even have a word for it…

"Hey where's Nami and Vivi? Did we catch up to them?"

I pursed my lips and nodded my head at what I was stuck with. _Why did I follow him again?_

Staring at Ace incredulously I sat down on the ground. Within a moment I tipped my head back and started laughing incredulously. Here I was in a burning desert, alone with my idiotic, direction challenged husband, and we'd managed to get separated from _everyone_. Honestly this was just one of those times where I needed to laugh or else I'd kill someone.

Ace of course was just looking at me with an eyebrow tipped up in one direction. Apparently he was serious.

"No. We didn't."

"Then why are we out here all alone?"

I took a moment to clear my throat and think about what I was going to say. "Well," I began, "Perhaps, and I don't know, but perhaps it's because you fucking fell asleep on your feet and kept on walking in some random ass direction?" I yelled at him, my throat tightening from thirst. I shook my head as Ace went wide-eyed and looked around for any recognizable signs.

"What the hell?"

"Oh geez," I muttered smacking a hand to my face. "Are you seriously _that _unaware of your surroundings? How have you not been picked off before you stupid, dumb-assed, ridiculous-!"

"So why did you even bother to follow me then if I was going the wrong way?" He interrupted my almighty rant.

I stopped and narrowed my baby blues at him, tugging a strand of sweat-soaked hair behind my ears before lifting up the hood on my protective robes. "Because I was _trying _to apologize for being a completely unreasonable bitch earlier! _If you _hadn't fallen asleep then you _would _have heard it!"

"I accept your apology." Ace stuck his pinkie in his ear, twisting it around.

My face twitched as my patience was about shot, "That, is. Not. Our. Problem. Right now!"

Ace grinned and placed a kiss on my forehead to which I recoiled with a snarl, "Calm down Sammy we'll find them again. For now let's just get moving."

"Moving? Moving where? We're in the middle of a goddamn desert!"

Ace sighed and grabbed my hand in his, "Listen last I remember we were traveling with the group West. If you notice, the sun now is just to the right of the middle of the sky which means it's going to the west. So if we just follow the sun we'll be fine."

I sighed, my angered resolve weakening slightly, "Just lead the way you pyro-idiot."

"Will do darling."

We started off again but when we were maybe a mile or two from where we'd originally been there was a strange sound. Ace looked to the sky while he listened to what sounded like a thunderstorm or some big weather pattern.

"What was that? Is it a storm or something?" I asked.

"You heard that as well huh? I don't think it's a storm though because there aren't any clouds. Not to mention if there was a storm we'd have seen it before hearing it-what the hell?"

Ace watched as the ground in front of us started to shake violently, and by now we knew that we were about to have a visitor of some sort. I just hoped that this one was relatively friendly because if not it was going to kick the shit kicked out of it. I was so over this desert and the weather along with getting lost was not making me the happiest women at the moment.

"I fucking hate this goddamn desert! Die in the fucking pits of hell you sand filled cesspool!" I screamed. Ace wrapped his arms around my waist and hauled me back to avoid falling into the crater around the huge bulge of sand that was steadily growing out of nowhere.

"Calm down Sam, we'll get out of this alive." He said with his hat low on his eyes.

By now our visitor had arrived and my husband was eyeing the giant scorpion that came out of the sand only a few moments ago. It seemed that the scorpion was staring Ace down as well because the two just stood there staring. Feeling Ace begin to heat up I dropped his hand and stepped back because right now my leg was deciding to act up in addition to other predisposing conditions.

"A scorpion," I sighed and rolled my eyes as Ace lit up. "Out of everything here we find the fucking scorpion…"

The armored animal stared at the us a little longer and seemed to narrow its eyes. A shiver went through my body. Why did every fucking animal here want to kill us with no rhyme or reason? Did we just have a sign on our back that said 'hey come kill us!'?

"Quit it you're beginning to piss me off," Ace sighed. "If I were you I'd just walk away."

Of course, the scorpion had _not_ listened and Ace decided that his patience was over with now. Lighting up even further he then transferred the pent up flames onto the scorpion and roasted it nicely. My stomach growled at the prospect that this thing could be dinner but unfortunately it probably wouldn't be a good idea.

"Lovely, I wish we could eat him..."

Ace shrugged as he grabbed up my hand again. "We could always try to eat him, I'm sure I wouldn't be affected."

I punched his shoulder before we continued on. However it was only a few minutes later when Ace suddenly stopped altogether once more. I smacked into his back and hissed as my nose crunched against his lean muscle. "Why did you sto– seriously? Are you fucking kidding me right now?" I growled. In front of us was yet _another _animal.

The creature had the outward appearance of a lizard, but not exactly like the ones we'd seen because it was upright on its hind legs. The thing stood roughly about Ace's height and with its odd, bulging yellow eyes looked straight at me. The thing had purple skin with an orange stomach and red scales on its back and head. It was the most ridiculous creature I'd ever seen.

Ace frowned at the animal and sidestepped get around it as it didn't seem that much of a threat to us. However the animal did the same and was once again blocking our way. Ace's frown deepened and took a step to the other side to see what would happen – and the lizard did the same.

For the first time in a bit a grin came to my face. After a few more attempts of his to evade the ridiculous animal, I just sat down once more and laughed my head off. It looked like a mirror in front of Ace because what he did the lizard decided to mimic. Honestly this was probably the best laugh I'd had in close to two days.

"Wanna dance with me too?" Ace asked the lizard in a dangerous tone. Wiping my eyes of the laughter tears I noticed that the creature's eyes fell on the smoking remains of the scorpion– and a waterfall of tears sprung from its eyes.

"Kahahahahaha!" I howled with laughter. "I-It's afraid! Hahahaha! That's so … oh geez!...hilarious! Dear gods I love this lizard!"

"Uh huh," Ace stated dryly. "Whatever, just get up here already, I think we can ride it."

Ace impatiently waved his hand for me to take. Perhaps the heat was getting to him after all. "Righ… uh.. where do I hold on?" I asked as I went to go and sit behind Ace. Ace in return grinned and pulled me up behind him:

"Just put your arms and legs around me." He stated.

I sighed and put my arms and legs around him. Nestling my face into his back I sighed and closed my eyes. Ace kicked the things in the ribs and the lizard started forward at an even pace. This wasn't so bad as we got further up from where we were. The lizard seemed like it was alright and it was going where we wanted it to at an even pace so that was good.

The longer we traveled the further the sun sank until the moon was beginning its ascent into the sky. By now the temperatures had dropped to freezing levels and I was shivering while pressing my face into his robes, I wasn't much for the cold. Especially with the way I was dressed now. Even though I had a robe it didn't help much with the fact that I still had on a bikini top and shorts with boots. "Don't worry, we'll only go a little bit farther to those rocks up there before we stop for the night." Ace said to me.

**Ace's Pov**

Ace grinned as he heard Sam make one of her little acknowledgement chitters. Peering forward he felt a sense of relief to see the rocks coming ever closer. He was a bit stiff from sitting on this damned lizard, whom Sam had graciously dubbed Violet, for hours on end. It seemed that after their little misunderstanding, much to Sam's amusement, that the female had decided that the lizard was alright in her books.

A yawn escaped his lips just as they managed to get to the rocks. "Hey Sam-." Ace began but when he heard her soft, contented whine he figured that she was asleep. Maneuvering her into his lap Ace then slid off of Violet and gave the ugly fucker a glare, "Run off in the middle of the night and I'll find you and scorch you to ashes." The lizard's reply was once again a waterfall of tears.

Settling Sam against some more comfortable looking rocks Ace then managed to find a few burnable things and started a fire. Whether it was the heat or the noise he didn't know but suddenly Sam sat up board straight. She blinked at the fire groggily before darting away from it with a surprised gasp. Ace in turn laughed at her and reached his hand out, "It's alright you know, the fire didn't suddenly start from thin air." Sam only smacked his hand away and glared.

"It's not funny ya know."

"It's quite hilarious actually. I didn't think the lizard thing was funny but you did."

"That was different!"

Ace looked at her with one eyebrow raised, "Oh yeah? How is that?"

"Because you weren't scared!"

"You're right I wasn't but that means very little."

Sam glared at him and tossed her hands up, "Fine! Whatever, just leave me the fuck alone!"

She stomped over to another rock and sat on top of it. She drew her legs close into her and wrapped her arms around them. Linking her hands she rested her beautiful head on her knees. Her baby blues were aimed at the fire and of course Violet was curled up around her. Ace felt slightly bad about laughing at her but it was funny! She just couldn't take a single joke at her own expense. Building the fire a bit taller Ace then sat back next to her and reclined against a few semi-uncomfortable rocks.

Reaching over he slid his arm over her and brought Sam closer to him. Sam hissed and tried to break out of his grip. Of course Ace being the stronger one just pulled her closer and put his nose into the junction of her neck. By now Sam's struggles were starting to die down. Ace laughed and placed a sloppy kiss to her cheek. "Ew! That is so gross!" Sam yelled.

"Nah you love it!"

"Hmph! I'm still mad at you…"

Ace sighed, "Sammy you know I didn't mean it like that. Usually you're so dignified and careful that you don't make stupid mistakes. I mean you don't fall asleep in your food all the time."

"I know you're just saying this to placate me."

"Is it working…?"

"Not a chance there Portgas."

"Sammy are you sure you're alright? I know that the desert heat is doing some of this but you're edgier than normal."

Sam blushed and looked away, "Shut up…"

Ace gently grabbed her chin and turned her to look at him, "I'll gladly shut up if you make me." He said. Sam's eyes became lidded as she stared at his lips. Ace grinned because he knew where this was going to lead. Placing his lips on hers he kissed her roughly. While he was usually gentle with his ministrations today was a different matter. It had been several days since they'd been together and he seriously needed to get off.

Sam of course was fitted against his body perfectly. Her feminine chitters and purrs were driving him on. Kissing her harder he ran his hands up and down her body. Jeez did her body feel amazing! The soft supple skin of her was making him mad! He felt his body heat up, the fire rippling underneath his skin. It was taking a lot of control to not burn her because sometimes his fire decided to have a mind of its own.

Reaching up he managed to latch his fingers into her top strings and ripped her top from her torso. Sam gasped as her fingernails scratched into his scalp. Feeling the pricks of minute pain only fueled him to continue what he was doing. He loved it when she would run her fingers through his hair and tug at it; it was sexy. By now his 'buddy' was straining against the confines of his pants, it was time to get on with this.

He went for her pants when suddenly her hands were blocking his, "No!" She screamed and shoved him off of her. Ace landed on his back completely perplexed, what happened? Sitting back up Ace looked at her as she gathered up her top and ran away from him into the shadows. Worry went through him, did she suddenly not want to be with him anymore? He thought that he was doing everything right for the most part but had he missed something?

"Sam what's going on?" Ace asked as he got up to follow where she had disappeared to. He heard the shuffling of her probably tying her top back on but other than that she didn't reply to him. Ace sighed as he traveled further into the darkness. Lighting up a finger to see where he was going Ace noticed his lover sitting against a wall with her legs drawn up against her, arms clasped tightly against one another. She looked so upset and bothered that he felt like his heart was being stabbed.

When he walked over to where she was sitting and sat down next to her. She turned away without looking at him and Ace sighed, "Sam what the hell is going on with you? One minute you're screaming at me. The next you're saying you're sorry which _you never _do. Then when things were starting to go in a direction I very much liked you freaked out and ran off. _What the hell_?"

Sam looked down and mumbled something.

Ace strained his ears, "What?"

"Mfnmsnfodjfjfoidghmenprd…"

"Samantha you're mumbling please talk louder." Ace growled as he began to lose his patience.

"I'm on my fucking period!" Sam screamed as she whipped around to face her, the flaming blush on her face seemed to also match the fire in her eyes.

Ace felt his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. He didn't expect that! "Uhm… well…"

Sam looked down away from him, "I'm sorry…"

Ace's patience finally snapped. He held her in a firm grip and forced her to at least face in his direction, "Stop this! Stop apologizing and being all meek like this! _This is not you!"_

"Wh-what?"

"You are a woman that is very strong, independent, and you don't _apologize_! Seriously I want _my wife _back! So do me a favor and just stop being this shy woman because that's not who _you _are!"

Something in Sam's eyes hardened up. Immediately she punched Ace in the jaw and down the devil fruit user went. "Thanks husband. I knew there was a reason I kept you around."

Ace grinned, "Nice to know that you're back to normal. Now can we pick up where we left off?"

"Nope."

Promptly the grin fell from Ace's face, "What?"

"I'm on my period dipshit, means I can't have sex. Well, unless you want a bloody time of it."

Ace paled, "Okay… but what do I do about this then?" He motioned to his shorts.

Sam smiled in a way that Ace knew he wasn't going to like her answer, "I guess you'll just have to work something out," She turned and walked back to where the fire was roaring and the lizard was lying, "I'm hungry what's there to eat?"

Ace felt like crying, what had he done to deserve this?

**Sam's Pov**

I groaned in pain as the morning arrived. Cramps were such a bitch! Managing to roll on my side I noticed that Ace was crouched down, meekly poking a fire a few feet away. Thinking back to last night I felt furious with myself. Ace was right, I wasn't shy, reserved, or meek. I had no idea why I was acting that way before. I mean yeah I was embarrassed to tell Ace why we couldn't be together at the moment but even that was strange because usually I don't give a shit.

Painfully getting to my feet I hissed at the feeling of soreness in my legs. Ace turned back around to look at me. I aimed a pained smile at him but Ace of course saw right through that. Within a few seconds the idiot-pyro had picked me up and sat me down next to the fire that was apparently cooking our breakfast. "What hurts now?" He asked while rubbing my feet.

I tossed my head back at the pleasing feeling, "Honestly it's my abdomen at the moment."

Ace sighed and pulled me into his lap. The heat wasn't too bad right now though since it was still early morning. He placed a single, heated hand where I'd specified and I sighed contentedly. "Feel good?" He chuckled.

"I fucking love you."

At this Ace let out a boisterous laugh, "Enough to finish what we were doing last night?"

"Nope, sorry but I'm a cramping bitch right now. I'd be more likely to bite your head off at the moment. Sorry love."

Ace sighed, "Fine but you owe me for holding off so long!"

"You big baby it's only been about five days or so!"

"Yeah that's five _whole days_! You do realize that I am a man that needs to be sated right?"

"More like a whiny brat at the moment…" I muttered.

Ace promptly removed his hand from where it rested on my abdomen, "Fine then. If you say I'm a kid then I'll act like it."

"Nooooo! Ace don't do this to me!"

"Nope. I'm done helping." He turned away from me.

"Aaaaacccceeee! Pwease?"

I saw Ace's resolve start to weaken so I decided to pour it on, "Ace… I love you… pwease help me out?"

Ace sighed as he reached over and pulled me back into his lap. He placed his hand over my abdomen and I sighed happily, this was nice. "You know I can't help but feel you're just using me because of my heating and that you don't really love me." He joked.

I laughed and turned around to place a kiss on his lips, "You know I love you for more than your amazing heating powers."

Ace chuckled as I snuggled into the junction of his neck and shoulder. Honestly if I'd known that this was one of the last times that Ace and I would be able to be like this then I would've cherished it more than I had. Then again, how was I supposed to know the future?


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 26 ace**

**Sam's Pov**

The morning was actually pretty peaceful for once. Ace was slumbering peacefully next to me. I, myself, had my head resting on his chest and one arm thrown over his chest carelessly while his arm was looped around my waist. I smiled and shut my eyes just wanting to enjoy the moment for a bit longer. Unfortunately that wasn't going to happen.

A shrill screech made both Ace and I shoot up onto our feet. Whirling around I was able to see the threat just in time to duck the sharp knives that were thrown my way. Rolling through the sand and onto my feet I glared at who was our attackers. Ace stood right next to me, flames dancing in his hands.

In front of us was fucking Monte, the first mate of Teague.

His face was split in a sadistic grin as his wings twitched. As always he looked disgusting but ready for a fight. "Hey there sweetheart, we've missed ya in Teague's Crew. Even brought ya a friend." Out stepped Kellin who looked sick to his stomach.

I was beginning to see red and Ace was covered in roaring flames, "You bastards!" I screamed.

Monte grinned, "Now, now, you know you're not supposed to use that kind of language little rat."

I barreled forward and crashed into Monte's chest, "I'll kill you!"

Monte kicked me off of him and I hit on my back. Rolling over onto my feet I turned around and noticed that Ace was grappling with Kellin who surprisingly just had Ace's hand go straight through him like nothing! Flitting my eyes back to the task at hand I dodged out of the way from Monte's latest attack. Shaking my head I then dodged the next few swipes he aimed at my head.

All of a sudden Monte let loose a burst of fire in my direction. I dropped to the floor as the fire washed over me. Unfortunately Monte followed his fire and pinned me down with a hand to the throat. The air was cut off and my hands were scratching at Monte's in a desperate attempt to get his hands off of me. Monte only grinned as he pressed on my throat even more.

"I'm going to be so glad to finally kill you little rat! Teague told me not to kill you but to hell with him! You've cost me too much for you to live!" Suddenly Monte was tossed off of me as Kellin was slammed into his side.

Ace was there pulling me up onto my feet, "You alright Sam?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. What the hell is wrong with Kellin?"

"He ate a devil fruit and joined Teague's crew."

I grit my teeth, "Great, listen I don't really know how we can do this. Seriously we barely beat Monte the last time and we had Marco with us back then!"

We dodged a blast of fire as Monte began to fully transform into his beast form, "We'll find a way to do something!"

"Then we'd better get to it!"

I dodged left as Kellin went to sweep me off my feet. Unfortunately Monte swept me up into a large paw? We were off of the ground and into the air as he squeezed his hand. I screamed as my bones were put to the test, I'm gonna die!

Suddenly fire crashed into Monte. I screamed as he tightened his hold on me as he went down. Just as I thought we were going to crash he pulled up and once again we were in the air. Gritting my teeth I extended a hand and his wing locked up. "You bitch!" He snarled and began to once again tighten his grip. I screamed in pain and extended both of my hands.

Both of his wings were immediately immobile. His eyes widened as we began to plummet out of the sky. We crashed into the sand and his grip on me was gone. I hit the ground and bounced off of the searing sand. Coming to rest on my bad arm I groaned in pain, falling from the sky was freaking painful… Gah…

Making it to my feet I glared in Monte's way and reached out my hands again. Monte screeched out as he was immobilized. I grit my teeth as I felt the pressure settle on me, I wouldn't be able to hold him still for long. "Ace if you've finished Kellin off then take Monte down while I'm holding him!" I screamed in hopes that Ace could help.

For once my luck was holding as my husband showed up, his arms cased in flames. He leapt up toward Monte and landed a solid hit to the drake's face. Monte snarled as his tail broke free and smashed into Ace. Ace hit the ground and I winced, that was gonna leave a mark. "Sorry! He wrenched control from me for a moment-ah!"

Monte managed to get his tail and hit me straight in the stomach. For a moment Monte was free and that was all he needed. He was on me in a second and I hissed as his claws shredded into my side. "Stop it!" I screamed and shoved my hands forward. This time instead of Monte stopping he was sent straight back. I followed through and grabbed one of his wings. Swinging onto his head I began to scratch at his only remaining eye in an attempt to blind him.

Ace arrived a moment later as he went and began to place a barrage of punches on him. Monte got back to his feet and slung us off of him. We both hit the ground and Ace covered my body with his as he put the entire back of him on fire but not the front. He curled around me just as Monte's fire washed over the both of us. The heat was killing me but I wasn't about to complain, at least we were alive.

The fire soon trickled away and we were up once more. "Ace we have no choice but to end this soon. Do you think that if I can immobilize him one last time that you can finish him off?"

Ace gave me a look, "Exactly _how _do you expect me to kill him off? This knife wouldn't even slit his little toe."

"Dragons aren't fireproof on the inside. Get the bastard to swallow fire and he'll die. Better yet grab a bunch of sand and heat it up before shoving it down his throat."

"Fine, if you think it'll work then I'll go for it."

We dodged a blast of fire sent our way, "Okay, get ready!" I said.

I held out my hands and once again got a good hold on Monte. I groaned at the pressure because it was just ungodly on my arms. Once again he attempted to get away from me but I put every ounce of power into holding him. "Ace go!" I ordered.

Ace immediately shot into the sky with an armful of superheated sand. Luckily Monte opened his mouth to swallow up Ace which made the job of dropping the sand in easy. As Monte was forced to swallow essentially a hot coal I relinquished my hold on the draconian because I was at my limit. All of my energy had been expended on this and I was done.

Monte wailed and screamed as he attempted to spit up the searing sand. Unfortunately for him it was too late. His struggles were weakening before he was forced to transform back into his human form. Curling up on the hot sand he shook in pain, "D-damn you, you fucking rat! I want you to… burn in… hell! You're a pathetic r-rat…" Monte promptly began to cough up gritty blood and foaming at the mouth.

Then, he just fell still.

I couldn't believe it… Monte, my antagonist, my jailer, my torturer was dead. He was now gone and I felt relief like I'd never known.

Lying back I just laughed at this revelation. This was a great day.

"Sam? You alright, what's going on?" Ace asked as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him hard on the lips. Ace stumbled back slightly before he got his feet under him and placed his hands on my hips. We separated and Ace chuckled, "What's gotten into you?"

I kissed him again before jumping off of him, "It's just a really good day." I replied. However then I thought about something, "Hey… what happened to Kellin?"

"He sunk into the sand and disappeared, the bastard."

I sighed and placed another kiss on Ace's cheek, "We'll get him eventually."

I grabbed Ace's hand and then we looked at our lizard, Violet. "Well, I guess we'd probably better get going." Ace said as we walked toward the lizard. Gathering our packs he then helped me up on the lizard before getting on behind me. Kicking the lizard in the ribs Ace wrapped his arms around me and off we went yet again.

**Kellin's Pov**

Kellin looked up and noticed that Ace and Sam were finally gone. Pulling himself out of the ground he noticed that Monte was not moving at all. Sneaking closer he poked the first mate for a moment before shuffling back in a defensive position. However when Monte hadn't moved Kellin realized that he was probably dead. Holy crap…

This was his time to get away from all of this. Monte was the only one who was traveling with Kellin and now that he was gone he had a chance to get away from Teague and go live under a rock or something. Unfortunately what about Senna? If he didn't do this would she be harmed? He couldn't let that happen! He had to protect his sister!

"Kffffm, I figured you would've used your time to get away from here. You're obviously too stupid to understand a window of time when you have it."

Kellin whipped around and noticed that Check was standing there with one of his risqué magazines in his grip. "Go the fuck away! I hate you!"

Check grinned, "Well, at least you're not screaming and crying like a bitch anymore."

"I'll hurt you, I swear."

"Oh really?" Check had Kellin around the throat, "Do you seriously think you could take me on? Let's just say your devil fruit powers won't even work on me."

"A-ack! Please just- let me-ack!- go!"

Check rolled his eyes and let Kellin go. He had his bored expression on, "You're a pathetic pile of shit. Get on your feet so we can go back to Teague."

Kellin sighed as he made his way to his feet. He didn't want to go back to Teague. Unfortunately it wasn't like he had much of a choice. He wasn't about to let his older sister get hurt anymore. She'd always been protecting him and now it was his turn. Squaring his shoulders he then began to walk toward the direction that he knew the ship to be in. This was gonna be a long walk…

**Sam's Pov**

"Hey Ace, is that a town!"

Ace sat up a bit straighter behind me, "What? Are you sure you see a town?" He looked up and past my shoulder.

It looked like a small spot in the distance, but at least it was something that could go for a town. It wasn't too horribly big but it looked big enough to be a town. At least I hoped it was a town because I could seriously use a bed. We'd been able to bandage the scrapes and gashes I'd gotten and Ace had a few scratches but that wasn't bad. Either way my body was aching.

"Is this Yuba?" He asked quietly. I couldn't tell if he was talking to me but I figured I'd answer anyway.

"Sorry babe but I honestly have no idea. We're just gonna have to figure it out unless you somehow know and are just playing stupid."

Ace rolled his eyes, but now he was excited. Here it was, his chance to get some privacy for them, get away from this stupid lizard and the sand, at least for a little bit, and perhaps he could even manage to squeeze in some sexy time.

"What's with that stupid face?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nothing. Just… thinking about… things." He finished lamely.

I smirked at him, "Things huh? Interesting considering I can feel you against my lower back. Seriously is it your mating season or something?" I laughed at the end when I saw Ace's crimson blush. He was an idiot.

By the time we'd arrived at the city Ace had all but shot off of Violet to get away from me. I cackled as I dismounted. "Alright Violet, be good. You run off and I'll destroy you and everything you love." I smiled at the end of my sentence. The lizard began to cry a river of tears and Ace dragged me away from it.

"Come on, we need to get a room for the night." He announced. I sighed as I jumped on his back. "Sam what the hell are you doing?" He asked shocked.

"I don't wanna walk! So since you're my husband you can carry me~"

"You're kidding me right?"

"Nope~ now get moving!"

Ace sighed as he put his arms under my thighs and began moving again. It was only about ten minutes until we'd managed to get to a nice place inn. Ace entered into the lobby and I jumped off of his back. Shouldering my pack again we walked up to the counter where a man was stationed.

"Excuse me but is this Yuba?" I asked when we got up there.

"Yuba?" The huge man laughed heartily at me, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Yer not in Yuba Sweetheart. This is Ido, and Yuba is still pretty far from here!"

"Ido?" Ace asked as he stepped in front of me, slightly glaring toward the innkeeper.

"Yeah. Every traveler that comes from Erumalu have to pass through this town. Well, if they take the normal route that is. But lately, there haven't been any … it's a dern shame really," the man explained, "Yer the first ones since about two years past!"

"Mhm I see… any idea why?" Ace said.

"Nope, they just stopped comin."

"Well, are there any rooms we can rent for a night or two?" I politely asked from behind Ace and the man looked at me with a large grin.

"Of course! Would you all like one bed or two?"

Before Ace could interrupt me, I decided on one bed. I'm sure he would've said the same thing but I just beat him to it. The innkeeper gave a hearty smile before dropping down and digging through what I'm guessing was a lot of keys. Soon enough though he surface, "I take it this will be good enough." He said.

"Yes, thanks so much!" I said while I grabbed the key and tugged my annoyed husband along.

We went up to our room and I set my bag next to the door. Something was just bothering me. "I wonder why the innkeeper is so happy even though his country's burned to ashes… it doesn't add up…" I muttered. Sitting down on the bed I began to unlace my boots to take them off.

"Huh? What's the issue with being an optimistic? Sometimes you need people with a good attitude."

I just scrunched up my nose in response and let the conversation drop. I was tired after all. Lying down on the bed I curled up and decided that I needed some sleep. Briefly I heard Ace whisper something in my ear but I was too far gone to even hear him. Drifting off I just enjoyed the feeling of a nice bed and no sand grating against my injuries.

* * *

I yawned as I sat up. Outside showed it was dark which meant that I should probably go and find Ace. It was obvious that he wasn't here because one he wasn't fumbling around and two the room was still a bit chilly. Stretching out I then went out of the room and down the stairs toward the main common room which incidentally was connected with a dining area as well.

Just as I was making my way down the stairs two guys came racing up it. One of them grabbed the other and slammed him against the wall. I slid into the shadows in order to not be spotted. I seriously had no wish to be seen by these two and have to fight one or both of them.

"Tell me where the rebel army is!" The guy who had the other one pinned to the wall hissed.

"Heh, a-as if I'd tell you! Kamyu would have my head!"

The man held a knife to the pinned man's neck, "I'm getting really tired of waiting. If you don't tell me then I'll slit your throat and then go for your little doll."

"No please!" A woman showed up. Her purple eyes showed anxiety, "Please… just don't kill him! If you leave him alive I'll tell you where to find the rebel army!"

The man with the knife grinned, "That's more like it. Get talking bitch."

The woman looked shaken, "I… the rebel army… they're…"

"Hurry up!"

I decided that this was just getting old. Stepping out of the shadows I held my hand out and the man locked up. "What the hell is going on?" The man screamed. I chuckled and allowed his head to turn to look at me. "You bitch! Who the hell are you?"

"It's not important for you to know. Just get this, if you back off you can live. If you refuse I'll make you."

"This isn't your problem!"

"You're right it's not my problem. However when you threatened this man's lover, that's what I can't condone. Fighting people weaker than you is a shit move!"

The man attempted to lunge at me but after handling Monte in his dragon form this really wasn't any issue. Of course I was still recuperating so I would have to end this quickly but it was safe to say that he wasn't going to be moving while I had my hold on him. Stepping forward I grabbed hold of the man and tossed him over the stairs while plucking the knife out of his hand.

The other man that had been pinned fell to the ground coughing and I made my way down the rest of the stairs and past the shaken up woman. Stepping onto the other man's back I slid his knife into his arm. Quieting his screams I then used my devil fruit powers to get the man onto his feet. Then I made him walk out of the inn, "By the way, if I see you threatening them again, I won't just stick your knife in you and let you walk away." I reprimanded before sending him out the door.

Once that was all over I turned around to face the pair of lovers. The woman was where the man had slumped down on the stairs. She had him propped up and hugged him in her arms, tears in her eyes. "Jim, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't know what else to do." She hiccupped.

"It's… it's alright babe… I know you… I know you did what you thought… was best." He panted.

I cleared my throat awkwardly as I leaned against the stair rail, "Uhm… sorry to interrupt this fetching moment but since I helped you out, you owe me. But first, what are your names?"

"I-I'm Leevie and this is Jim." The woman answered.

I nodded my head in acknowledgement, "I see, well then. See I've been trying to get in touch with the Rebel army stationed here for a while and I would be grateful if you would tell me where they're located." I noticed the looks exchanged between the two of them, "calm down I'm on the rebel's side. I don't like Crocodile any more than you all do. So please, repay me this one favor and you'll never see me again."

They shared another look before nodding. Jim, this time, spoke. "The Rebel army is located at the Mayor's place. There you'll find their leader Kamyu as well."

I nodded my thanks, "Alright, you two be safe from now on." With that I left them.

Moving out and into the dining area I spotted Ace chowing down and talking with a few men. Going over to where he was seated I sat next to him and stole a piece of bread off of his plate. He turned around to murder me but when he noticed who I was he just smiled and swallowed his insane mouthful of food.

I grimaced at the look but otherwise said nothing. "So Sammy, what's up? How are you feeling?" Ace asked before going down for another mouthful. I rolled my eyes at him before dodging a piece of food that was tossed off of his plate at me.

"Well, I think I found us a lead on the rebel army that Luffy's crew was looking for."

That got Ace's attention, "What now?"

"Weeeeelllllll, you see I was coming down to see if you were here when a fight broke out on the stairs. It was between two guys who were arguing about the rebel army. Then one guy had out a knife and threatened to kill the guy he'd pinned and his lover. So naturally I stepped in and lent a hand. After that I got them to tell me all about this rebel army and where they're located. Soooo… what do you think?"

Ace nodded, "Alright, I think that we should go and check it out. But, in the morning."

"We can't wait that long!"

"Yeah well we're going to. Your wounds still are bad and I can tell that you're not one-hundred percent yet. I'm not about to let you go into a potentially dangerous situation in less than your best condition."

"But-!"

"No Sam, I'm serious."

I pouted and crossed my arms. The other men at the table were laughing at us but I was too busy ignoring them to be bothered. I didn't want to wait dammit! Standing up I sighed and grimaced at the feeling I got deep in my muscles, I was in need of a bath. Horribly. "I'm gonna get a bath, catch ya later." I said to Ace before disappearing.

Getting back up into the room I cranked on the bath and waited for it to fill the basin up. Sitting back I sighed again before deciding to slowly get undressed. Tossing off my clothes I then sat down in the partially filled tub before leaning back and waiting for the water to do its magic. Once it was completely full I shut the tap off and leaned back blissfully. This was heaven.

It was a bit later however when I felt something strange. Opening my eyes I found a very nude Ace walking in. I raised my eyebrow in question but it was answered when he motioned for me to sit up. Doing so he then sat down in the tub behind me. Feeling the heat rolling off of his body I smiled and curled up into him. His arms wrapped around me and he leaned his head back as well.

For who knows how long we just lay back together and enjoyed one another's essence. I loved times like these because it was like the troubles of world were nonexistent. It was as if we were just the only two around and everything else was just gone. Eventually though Ace got tired of keeping the bathtub water warm so we decided to get out. Ace redressed my wounds and then I placed a kiss on his cheek to thank him.

Getting dressed we then jumped into the bed. I curled up into his chest and sighed happily. Ace chuckled before wrapping his arms around me tighter and placing his chin on top of my head. Drifting off to sleep in a lover's arms is truly the best way to sleep.

**Ace's Pov**

As much as Ace didn't want to get up at the moment he knew he had to. He and Sam had a rebel army to sniff out. Hopefully the information she got on the rebel army was true because he really didn't want to chase a false lead. Besides he still had to track down Blackbeard. Hopefully the rebel army had some information on Blackbeard he could use.

"Sam… babe it's time to get up. We have to go and find the rebel army today." He yawned.

Sam whined and snuggled her face into his chest.

Ace felt heat stirring beneath his skin at her actions, if he didn't get her up they'd never leave the room, "Sam come on babe, we really need to get up."

Begrudgingly Ace removed himself from the bed and stood up. Cracking his back he then grabbed his hat from the bedside table and put it on his head. By now Sam was sitting up in bed and attempting to blink the sleep from her eyes. She stood up and Ace then went over to check on her wounds. Unwrapping the rumpled bandages he then checked the gashes around her stomach.

Most of those wounds had already scabbed over and they were in the process of healing. Putting more salve on those he re-wrapped the bandages and then proceeded to look at her arms and legs before judging that those were fine. Once those were all checked out he proceeded to make sure that everything was together before they packed up.

Walking out of the room they returned the key and then headed out to find the place the rebel army was said to be. As they went through the town Ace slung an arm over Sam and they just walked on. Finally however Violet the strange lizard appeared by them. Ace groaned, he really hated that lizard, even if it did provide a good mode of transportation.

After going through the town a bit farther with the stupid lizard in tow they found a huge house, well mansion, with white with little decorations, but the architectural style itself seemed to be the decoration. "I'm guessing that this is the Mayor's place. Hm…" Sam said as they stopped in front of the mansion.

Ace looked around the place and noticed that there was a side entrance with no guards anywhere around. Ace figured that Ido really wasn't that popular but seriously, not guards? They entered in the mansion through the door. Ace then led the way up some stairs, through a large hallway, and then the three stopped just outside of a door without a room.

**Sam's Pov**

Inside the room I could hear voices. "Wait here." I whispered and sank to my hands and knees. Shuffling forward I kept silent and continued on my way to just behind the furniture. The scene I was witnessing was just strange.

There were three of the strangest-looking people I think I'd ever seen. One of them was small and round, wearing a green hat, dark glasses with a red frame, deep red gloves, and colorful shirts. Another one was lanky, blond with cords wrapped around his head and brown clothes, a wry grin on his face. He looked really suspicious to me of course the weapons and ammunition belts didn't really help. The third one looked similar to a sumo wrestler with a light blue and yellow-dotted kind of vest around his bulking body.

All three of them were sitting around a table filled with various delicacies. They were eating good considering most of the town wasn't doing so hot. This was just fueling my strange vibes about this place.

Suddenly I heard another pair of footsteps. Turning around I saw that Ace was standing there, casually leaning against the wall in plain sight. I felt annoyance, what part of 'stay put' did not translate? But apparently, nobody spotted him since they said nothing. Ace had his arms crossed and had a deep frown etched into his features, apparently he wasn't happy either.

"So, do you think that if we attack the king with our powers that we're the real rebels, right?" the miniscule fat guy asked the blond man.

Real rebels? What the hell were they talking about? Were they fakes?

"We won't do a thing. We'll just leave this place once the beer and food is all gone," the blonde guy, Kamyu I guessed him to be, replied and ate a whole fish like how the others ate grapes.

Everything fell into place at that moment. These guys were fakes and they were swindling these poor towns for everything they wanted. Guys like this made me sick to my stomach, bastards. I decided that I couldn't just sit here and listen to this anymore. "Ace." I whispered. Once I got his attention I continued, "We need to teach these fakers a lesson about lying to innocent people!" I whispered. Ace merely nodded.

"KAMYU! We have issues!" A fourth man came running into the room. He was even taller and bigger than the sumo guy. He wore a white shirt with strange red armor over top, and he had a symbol tattooed on his forehead under the black crew cut.

"Shut up and stop screaming, I'm dining here!" the blond ordered indignantly. "So, what's got you all worked up?"

"Desert pirates!" the armor guy said nervously. "Desert pirates are attacking!"

_Desert pirates? Are they meaning the Straw Hats? _ I looked over to Ace who wore a sly grin on his face. Obviously he was thinking exactly what I was. Which also meant that these guys were utter idiots.

The three 'rebels' gave the fourth guy a scared look. "What should we do now Kamyu?" the fat guy asked.

"We won't last against the desert pirates! They'll finish us off in no time and then we'll be regarded as fakes if we even live that long!" the newcomer warned. "Then again, we can't just drop everything and cut and run! Kamyu, what …" The three of them looked at their leader who had packed a small bundle of food attached to the end of his rifle, "… do you think we should do?"

Kamyu rose to his feet and turned around to face his company. "It's obvious isn't it? We get the hell out of here."

"We're running?" the three guys cried out. "What happens if we run? Will we have to do real work?"

"Dumbass! No way! Use your goddamn brains! There are thousands of places similar to this one in Alabasta! Now come on!" he said and walked past them toward the door.

Ace by now had walked to the abandoned table and sat down. I really struggled against myself because I was hungry but I didn't want to eat food that innocent people had been tricked into giving these fakers. Unfortunately the hungry side finally won out and I sat down next to him, digging into the food. Sanji's food was much better but hey, it was food.

"Jeez," Ace ate another piece of meat. "Let's teach these dumbass fakers some manners-You're some heroes …", he then spoke up without turning away from the food. "Call yourself rebels, but in reality you're just the world's biggest cowards. Pathetic really. Don't you think so Sam?"

"Pretty much. I mean seriously how could you, four _grown _men, take food from these people and then have the nerve to skip town when you hear a threat coming your way? You all are goddamned pussies."

Instantly, the four of them turned aggressive. "Who the hell are you two? What we are or pretend to be is none of your damn business! How did you guys even get in here?" Kamyu asked.

"Hands off! That's our food! We lied pretty hard to get that!" The Fat Guy agreed.

I rolled my eyes. Seriously they decided to grow a pair of balls because we're eating their food? The sumo guy made an attempt to grab me but I just ended up punching him in the face. He flew about two feet away and ended up laid out on the floor. By the time I'd turned back Ace had already finished the other two off and turned back to his half-eaten bowl of rice.

"Seconds, now!" Ace demanded as he held out the now empty bowl to Kamyu, who took it with a small, nervous bow.

"A-hahaha, of course, my pleasure. Of course I'll get you seconds!"

For a bit we just ate on in silence with Kamyu eyeing his injured comrades, trembling all over, before he finally fell to his knees next to Ace and made a deep bow. Ace and I both smirked because we figured that if we kept silent long enough he'd come groveling for his wellbeing and guaranteed safety. "I'm really sorry about that. Please forgive our idiotic ways; we'll never do this again just let us get away alive!" He took a deep breath as the Ace and I just continued eating. "I'm sure you've noticed … we don't stand a chance against the desert pirates. We now humbly ask for you to help us!"

It's actually a funny to see the fake rebel leader kneeling and with his head almost touching the ground, when the much feared 'desert pirates' were just Luffy and his crew. What an idiot! I think he was even stupider than Lu!

"Well … We'll help you …" Ace said slowly. The rebel leader got excited, "On one condition."

That excitement dropped slightly. Kamyu raised his head to look at us, "Please!" he begged. "Name it and we'll do it!"

Oh this was going to be good.

"I still can't believe that you actually agreed to leave them be!" I hissed.

We were on our way to go and intercept Luffy and his crew. Violet the lizard was hard at work pulling a sled with supplies on it behind us. Ace sighed as he put a hand to his forehead. I'd been on his case about the agreement since we'd set out of the town about ten minutes ago. I think he was crazy for agreeing to it!

"Listen, I get that you're not happy with the deal but everyone benefits from it. The townspeople live in peace thinking they're safe, the fake rebels live in peace because they're provided with supplies, and the pirates don't even try to approach the town because the term 'Rebel Army' scares the shit out of them."

"I understand that Ace," I muttered. "But still… it's still not right if you ask me. If any danger came, those bastards would flee from the town and leave them to their fate at the mercy of some real desert pirates or other threats! I mean they would leave them in the hand of some greater power who would devastate the town just like how Teague had done!"

"So what do you want me to do, huh? What could I do" he asked me in a slightly cross manner.

I frowned and tightened my grip around his Ace. " I get what you're fucking saying. Let's leave the decision to Vivi. This is her kingdom and country after all."

"Wait, I think I see them up ahead!" Ace waved in their direction. "Hey Lu!"

"Finally we found them…"

The little group stopped in surprise as we got closer. "Ace! Sammy!" Luffy yelled and ran over to us. When Violet stopped right in front of our idiot brother, he grinned. "Who's that?"

"A friend we met in the desert," I replied offhandedly.

"So it seems that you guys are the 'desert pirates'," Ace stated.

"Huh? What did ya say?" Luffy asked confused.

"Ah? Never mind. We brought you something you can really use now," he said.

"Oh wow fooooodddd!" Luffy yelped, and the rest of the crew was also very delighted.

"You guys are amazing!" Usopp exclaimed happily.

"Uhh, Ace?" Vivi asked calmly. Here we go… "You didn't steal that from the townspeople, did you?"

I rolled my eyes, always miss moral isn't she? "Calm down Miss Moral. The 'Rebel Army' gave it to us!" I snorted with laughter at her.

"The Rebel Army?" Vivi yelled.

"Well, you know, basically they're just punk ass fakes," Ace explained.

"F-fakes? What do you mean by that?"

"They call themselves 'rebels' and act like the security force of the town. The people believe them wholeheartedly and are very grateful. But in reality, the so-called Rebel Army is just a bunch tricksters and cheats." I cut in.

Vivi's face grew more and more terrified while Ace and I traded off explaining the whole matter to her. As I expected her to be, Vivi was horror-stricken and furious. "How dare they acting like rebels to trick the people into giving them their supplies! That's terrible!"

Sanji suggested going there and teaching them a lesson, which I wholeheartedly agreed with. Teaching those punks a lesson was what I really thought we should've done in the first place of course not everyone was on board. Ace explained to us his thoughts and why everything could be okay like this. I saw where Ace was coming from naturally. However it still was just too close to my own situation though for me to ignore. Finally, Vivi decided that we would just test these rebels to see how far their courage went.

Hopefully this was gonna be good because if those idiots freaked out then it was guaranteed to be a show.

"So… do you think this is a good idea?" I asked Nami as the plan was decided upon.

The navigator shrugged, "It depends. If they don't run then perhaps it will be a good thing. However if they turn tail and run then at least we've saved this small town from being duped any further."

"True, I guess you're right about that. However… I dunno. Part of me wants to help them and then part of me wants to go and leave them to get back to my own objectives."

"Well, I guess that's really only up to you now. Either way we have to do this right now."

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess Ace and I will get into place."

"Good luck."

I smiled at Nami, "Good luck to you all too."

Grabbing onto Ace's arm we got into our positions near the gate leading out of Ido. Our job was the head them off if they tried to skip out of town. So with each of us leaning against the gate we both crossed our arms and then waited for the supposed 'Rebel Army' to try and get away. If they even made it that far, that is.

Of course as Luffy beat the shit out of the Rebels he was then reminded about why they were really there. So soon enough they flopped and then before we knew it Ace and I were hightailing it out of there with Luffy and the few from his crew.

"Shishishi! That's exactly what I wanted to hear! Now come on so we can go and kick Crocodile's ass! That's the way to act, Kamyu …"

"Stop flapping your gums and let's go!" Sanji interrupted him and pulled Luffy to run faster, "Go guys, faster! Those rebels aren't guys to mess with!" he yelled extra loud.

"Those are the most dangerous guys I've ever had the unfortune to meet!" Usopp added.

"How can you all act like this? So embarrassing…" Zoro growled, as he ran to catch up to them.

Chopper hurried to try and catch up with them, "Wait for meee!"

Kamyu stood and looked out after us as if he were confused about life.

"Let's go!" I said and pulled Ace with me to catch up. We ran past Kamyu and I smacked him on the back of the head as we left. I turned my head to look back at the blonde, "Don't make us come back here and smack some sense into you next time!" I ordered before turning back and running full speed.

Ace grinned at my words as he hurried up so as not to be dragged by me.

Alright guys so this chapter is done! We're getting closer and closer to the end, Ahhh! I don't want it to end! T.T

Anyways, I'll try and have the next update out around next Thursday however if you guys send me about 3 or 4 reviews I'll have it out earlier. As always happy reading!


	28. Chapter 28

**Ace Twenty-seven**

Lunch was pretty nice the next day, in fact it was amazing considering most of our food was captured and roasted from the desert. Sanji really was an amazing cook. However, suddenly a piece of meat decided that it wasn't going to stick around any longer for it suddenly jumped up and raced off. Of course I wasn't the only one who noticed because Luffy noticed the flying meat and raced after it, jumping from rock to rock in pursuit of the food.

I watched my idiot younger brother as my mouth fell open, seriously? I sighed and got up to follow Luffy. Knowing Ace of course I figured that he was going to probably follow the flying meat as well. As I passed Luffy who had lost sight of the meat I heard something. My ear twitched and I closed my eyes. Sending out my powers I was able to identify of course all of the straw-hat crew plus Ace but also two other blood-filled organisms just a bit up from here. However I could still hear them whispering.

"Sam, what are you doing stopping?" Ace asked as he showed up next to me.

"Shh, someone's talking up ahead," I whispered, concentrating on the whispers from behind the rock. After I figured out that I wouldn't be able to actually make out what they were saying I decided to get over the rock. Ace frowned from where he was but soon joined me.

Behind the rock sat two little boys, who were hungrily sharing our stolen meat. From what we could hear from their talking we figured out that these two brats were from the badlands and by the way they had been eating it was obvious that they were starving.

"Our meat thieves are originally from the badlands, huh?" Ace said as he leaned a bit forward on our rock.

Of course the two boys received the shock of their lives as we showed up, but the older one quickly recovered. He pulled his shivering companion, whom I guessed to be his younger brother, behind his back as if to protect him. "Who are you two and what the hell do you want?" he questioned aggressively. It was obvious though that he was scared beyond belief.

Yet from behind the other boy's back, the smaller one must've felt a brave streak. "We won't give the meat back so don't even bother asking for it!" It was hardly a threat though with the brat's squeaky voice..

I grinned until the older boy pulled a gun from behind his back. "One movement and I'll shoot you!" he yelled.

Now my jovial mood was gone, "Put the gun away brat. I could kill you without even touching you. In fact I really don't even have to move."

The boy with the gun blanched as his hands shook, "D-don't play games! I'll shoot you if you dare get any closer!"

I sighed and looked to Ace, "You take this one because I'm running out of patience."

"Shishi," Ace chuckled, "Put the gun away kid, you're not scaring either of us." He was not a bit impressed by the gun or the kid that was holding it, then again should he? I was sure that it wasn't loaded with seastone anything, and until that was the case, it really wasn't that big of an issue for either of us. However the fact that a little kid was pointing a weapon meant to kill at us really didn't sit well with me. What was with the world these days?

"Did you try it? Does it really shoot?" the smaller boy asked as his brave streak finally ran out.

"How would I know?" the older replied, his voice scared. "I never held a gun before!"

"Then just put it down," I advised of course now the brat had the damn gun pointed at my head. I watched his little finger pulling the trigger closer to him as he readied himself to shoot me. Would he have the courage?

Apparently he would for he fired the gun and soon enough a bullet was speeding toward my head.

The younger boy went to push the older boy to divert the bullet but he was too late. The bullet was already in motion, I knew that I could easily head off the attack but unfortunately my reaction time was still slow with my leg still being stiff. _Damn_!

I closed my eyes to wait for the end but heard a gasp. Opening my eyes I saw Ace as he appeared in front of me and burst into flame. The bullet instantly melted and I was safe to live another day. Unfortunately the boys weren't in such a lucky position. Ace appeared in front of them almost as fast as he had appeared with me and snatched the gun from the older boy's shaking hands. "Boys like you shouldn't play with things they have no idea how to work. You nearly killed _my wife_." He snarled as his jovial tone was now gone.

I couldn't see Ace's face, but it was obvious that he was glaring daggers at the boys right now. I knew just how he looked when he was truly angry and I can honestly say that I had to give props to the boys for not pissing their pants and running away. Not many people can stand Ace's furious looks. Of course it didn't help that he was towering over the already shivering boys. "Guns aren't play toys. In fact if my wife had died I might've just had to take you two for retaliation." He added.

To be honest I was completely surprised that he said that. Yeah I knew that he cared about me but I also knew that he wouldn't, at least I hope, harm children. Either way it seemed though that the boys also had a touch of awe in their eyes because they began to mutter about how he had lit up and protected me. I put a smirk on my face, no matter how they attempted to be grown up they still were kids after all.

"Huh? Where do those two come from, now?" I looked back and noticed that the Straw-hat crew had joined us. With others around it seemed that the larger of the two boys decided to do something brave and stupid again. Tossing down the gun he rushed to Ace and grabbed his hand. "You," he addressed Ace who had an eyebrow raised in an unamused fashion. "Can I ask you something really quick?"

Ace crossed his arms in front of his chest as he glared down at the brat. I sighed as I walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder to remind him that these shitty brats weren't enemies, just stupid kids. His gaze softened for a moment before he nodded to the kid to continue.

"I really wanna find this villain! If you catch him for me, I'll pay you one million berri!" The boy seemed resolute, however I wondered how he would even be able to pay Ace that much money. Either these kids were secretly rich or they were lying about paying that much money.

"One million berri?" Nami's voice chimed in with an awestruck tone.

"Uhh … y'know … I can't pay you directly, but I promise, you'll get it when I've grown up! I'll get it to you one way or another!" The kid then rooted around in his pockets and dug an old, tattered photograph up, which he held up to Ace. "Can you find this man for us?"

Ace frowned down at the boy with the picture, then sent a glance to where I stood. "What do you say?" he asked as he decided to sit down.

"Well… we do have a schedule that we need to keep. We're really behind anyways…"

"Please! I'll do everything and anything you want of me! Please!" he begged Ace.

"Ask my wife, kid. You did almost shoot her anyways so she gets to decide." A general gasp from behind told them the others had also heard and Luffy looked like he was ready to beat the kids himself.

"I didn't mean to, it was an accident…"

"Then you shouldn't have pointed a gun at someone who you didn't intend to kill!" Ace snarled at the child.

I put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down again, as much as I didn't like these kids I wouldn't let them get hurt over a moot point.

"Please, Miss Lady! I'm sorry I almost shot you! I didn't mean to! Please, please, _please _just help us!"

I sighed and stood up as I took the outstretched picture from the boy's hand. "You two come with me real quick." Something about what they were telling me wasn't adding up. I didn't like to be lied to and if we were going to possibly take this job then I wanted to know the full details of it. In fact I'm pretty sure that I know the story anyways.

Ace looked like he wanted to argue with me but I put a finger on his lips to silence him, "I need to talk with them for a moment. Don't worry, now that the gun is gone this will be easy enough to protect myself."

Ace looked at her for a few more moments, then nodded. He stood back from me and I motioned for the brats to follow me out of earshot of the others. Once we were far enough away I crouch down on the rock and hugged my knees to me with my hands locked around my crouched legs. I wanted to be on their level when I talked with them because I didn't want them to get the feeling that I was towering over them and trying to intimidate them.

"Alrighty boys, tell me the real reason why you want us to find this person." The opened their mouths but I cut them off with a finger, "Before you go and tell me the same bullshit you told them think about it. I know you're lying and if you continue to lie to me then I won't tell Ace to help you two."

The eldest boy looked scared as he took a moment to collect his thoughts, "Okay… you're right we haven't been honest."

"Then tell me the truth. I don't go into jobs blindly."

They looked to one another for a moment before nodding to one another, "Okay… this man… he's our father."

"Yeah I kinda figured that one out. Tell me though, did he leave you two behind?"

They nodded.

"So then why are you two chasing after him?"

"He left us because he said he wanted a better life for us! We just… we just want our dad back…" The youngest boy spoke.

I nodded sympathetically. Now I completely understood where they were coming from. I knew exactly what it was like to have a dad leave you behind when all you want is for them to be your father. Finally I sighed and made a decision, "Fine, Ace and I will help you find your father. Now come on, they're probably thinking that you've attempted to kill me by now."

The boys smiled at me as I got to my feet. "Thanks big sis!" The screamed and ran ahead. I stopped for a moment with a look toward the two bouncing brats _big sis_? Shaking my head I walked back to where they were excitedly chattering to Ace about how I'd said that I'd agreed for us to help them. Ace of course gave me a look to see if what they were saying was the truth and I nodded.

Handing the picture to Ace he sighed and stood up, "Well, it looks like we're going to find a missing person." I nodded at him. Taking his hand in mine

"So? Why do you want us to find this guy for you? C'mon, give us something about him to go on." Usopp asked the brats.

"His name's Scorpion, a bounty hunter that we need to find."

I stopped in my tracks at the name. Ace and I weren't unfamiliar with that name. It was said that he was the one that defeated Blackbeard, which was certainly interesting. Ace was also tense, it was apparent that he was thinking what I was. It was imperative for us to find this man.

"Sam and I have to find Scorpion as well. Some guy, Scorpion, it was said that he beat Blackbeard. We were only on our way to Yuba because we wanted to talk to him and we'd heard that Blackbeard had actually been here as well."

"Personally though, I don't think that this guy defeated Blackbeard. I mean seriously we couldn't kill him and we belong to Whitebeard's crew, and this idiot is a commander no less, "I jabbed a thumb at Ace, "So yeah… I believe that this is all a lie."

"You're right Sam. He really doesn't look like he could beat Blackbeard." Usopp agreed as he took a look at the picture. He then looked at Ace, "So tell me Ace, do you think the rumor is true?"

"Dunno. That's why we're here to find out. If it is great but if it isn't then we move on and keep searching."

"Hey big sis, is this Blackbeard guy really dangerous?" Dip, the youngest brother, asked as he jumped on my back.

I screamed slightly in surprise at his action but caught him none the less. Ace had an eyebrow arched in my direction at the title which I blushed at and promptly ignored him, "Yeah, this Blackbeard guy is as crooked as a guy can be. He killed two of my close friends and then skipped town."

Both Chip and Dip stared at me in wonder. Suddenly something alerted me to something up ahead, "Hey guys, I think someone's coming."

Ace squinted in the distance, "Yeah, two men and a bird, I think."

"They're coming closer," Chopper agreed.

"Dear god… I can't believe you could actually see that from that distance… I'm freaking blind." I hung my head in shame before looking up.

Wow, some huge bird landed on top of the dune, with a saddle and a helmet on his head. I shook my own head at looking at the bird and the person riding it, Scorpion. Why the hell did he have a matching outfit with his fucking bird? Was he seriously _that _lame? "Here you are, Fire Fist Ace!" the man called out for them to hear. "I'm Scorpion and I'm here to fight with you!"

"Bad luck you met me! From now on the people are going to talk about how I defeated the infamous Fire Fist Ace!" Scorpion yelled.

"Isn't that great, Ace? A fight! Go ahead and knock him into next week!" Luffy exclaimed in his usual joyful tone.

"No worries about that. But before I take him down, I have to ask Scorpion about something," Ace stood up to his full height as he took off his hat and put it on my head. "Now step away, Luffy! Sam, watch my hat for me."

"Are you ready, Portgas?" Scorpion shouted.

Suddenly Scorpion brought his gun up as he charged toward Ace and fired. A large net shot from the cannon towards Ace. I sighed as he lit up and disappeared into a pillar of fire just before the net could close around him and blasted it back. It seemed that it was a battle of the testosterone-driven males. Oh joy…

"Aaah! Hot! Hot!" Scorpion yelled as he fell off his bird with his own freaking net encasing his body.

"Ace fought off a steel net that was amazing!" Usopp shouted stupidly.

I rolled my eyes, "Are you seriously impressed by that? I mean come on nets are pathetically easy to get around."

Scorpion fought his way out of his net finally, "I'm glad the fight's not over yet. I don't like boring fights."

I sighed and decided to look at the clouds instead. "Tell me when this so called 'fight' is over with would ya?" I told Luffy who nodded enthusiastically at me. The clouds actually looked interesting today. One was shaped like Violet the lizard. _Hm… I wonder where Violet got… I haven't seen him-her-it today…_

This fight seemed to drag on. Usually Ace would just finish them off by now and we'd be out of here. Of course when I heard what I guessed was Scorpion gasp I sat up and adjusted Ace's hat on my head. Looking down at the scene I saw Scorpion on the ground and Ace just standing there, hands in his pockets. About damn time.

"Listen," Ace started, "For a minute, and I do mean a minute, I actually believed that you defeated Blackbeard. However it was all a lie, wasn't it?"

I nodded my head, "About time you figured it out."

Ace turned around to face me, "Don't start that shit with me you believed it for a moment as well!" He yelled indignantly.

Scorpion was saying something but I was just too far away to really make out what he said. I'm pretty sure that he said something about being beaten but who knows. Then he just fell on his back to look at the clouds like I was doing earlier.

"Dad stop this!" Chip yelled as he ran toward his father. Of course everyone was shocked but me as I nodded my head in acknowledgement.

"Daddy?" Luffy asked confused about life.

Scorpion coughed and attempted to play this off, "Dad? Who are you talking about?"

Chip and Dip raced to him, "Dad! You can't fight with Ace, he'll kill you!" they yelled and clutched at him.

"What are you doing here?" Scorpion asked incredulously.

I snorted as I listened to their story. Walking over there I kicked Scorpion in the face and then grabbed him by the collar, "Listen up and listen well, you _will _go back with these kids and spend every waking moment possible being the best father possible to them or _I will _destroy you. You got that you piece of shit father?" I hissed.

"Sam, he left them because of a matter of pride," Ace explained as he grabbed me off of Scorpion. Scorpion then stood up and grabbed his gun again, with his boys clinging to his legs to keep him in place. He then aimed it at us. Ace's expression softened as he looked at Chip and Dip, "He has to show his sons what he's worth and that he can find a way to not be a shit lousy father. It's a man's thing."

"Che, you fucking men and your pride! Don't you realize that family is more important? Who gives _a damn_ about pride? These kids _need _their father! And you!" I pointed once more toward Scorpion, "You'd better cherish the time you have with your kids because if you continue to push them off and leave them alone like that then there will come a day when they will want nothing to do with you. So if I were you I'd choose. Your pride? Or your sons?"

"And if I chose my sons then they would've starved a long time ago! We only survive on barely a potato a day!" Scorpion snarled.

I snorted, "Then get a real job, come on and just spend time being an actual father. They came all the way out here _for you_."

Ace gave me a frown, completely ignoring the fact that a large gun was pointed at him. "You not serious right? What do you expect him to do when they only survive on a single potato a day! How does he know that his sons don't doubt his worth when he can barely feed them?"

"At least they would have a family!"

"Having a family doesn't always fill your stomach! Surely _you _know that better than most." he shot back.

I narrowed my eyes, okay if he wanted to go that far two could play at that game, "Yeah, you have a point there. Of course once you lose your family you can't ever truly fill that void and _you _know that better than anyone." I spat at him.

Ace looked at me as if he'd been slapped but I couldn't have cared less. What he said was pointed and while I would never admit it, what he said actually did sting a bit.

"Sam …" Ace began but stopped when a gunshot rang out. We both jerked up to see Scorpion's thrown away gun discharge and fire at the mountain a small bit away from us. Half the mountain was now falling down towards us.

Hissing I snatched up Chip and Dip and then jumped up away from where I was to higher ground but I still had no idea of if it was high enough. Luffy was about to attack but Ace stepped in front of our brother as his fire began to swirl around his body. It seemed that he was done being patient. With a single attack Ace had blasted the whole rock formation into the afterlife.

Dust coated the entire place. I coughed as the fine grains filled my lungs. The brats jumped out of my arms and ran screaming for their father to see if he was okay. Standing up I attempted to use my hand to flap the dust away.

"Everyone okay? Sam?" Came Ace's voice from somewhere.

"I'm fine you stupid dumbass!" I called back. I really didn't want to hear him right now.

"Love you too, Le Roux!"

After all of the dust settled and everyone was all together Scorpion announced that he was going to go home with his children. I nodded my head to him with my arms crossed. Just as the trio was going to leave Chip and Dip ran over to me. They tossed their arms over me as I bent down to their level, "Good bye big sis!" The both yelled in each of my ears.

I grimaced at the noise but gave them a big hug, "Good-bye you little brats, I'll miss you two. Be good and keep that dumbass father of yours in check." I chuckled.

"We will!" Dip yelled as he ran to their father.

"Yeah don't worry about that!" Chip added as he also joined his father and brother.

I smiled at the family with a bittersweet grin. I was happy that they were all getting together as a family again but at the same time I wished that I had been able to have that with my own family. As much as I didn't want to admit it I wished that I had been able to keep my dad with me ever since my mom died. Unfortunately that just wasn't in the cards for my family. Either way we needed to get out of here and go find Blackbeard and Teague.

* * *

Alright guys were only a handful of chapters to the end ahhhhh! So sad but all good stories have to end before long.

I'm going to guess that some of you are wondering about what i'm going to do when Ace faces Blackbeard. Well i'll tell you that i will be following the manga plot for the next little bit with Marineford and all of that but there WILL BE A TWIST TO IT. So stay tuned :)

Anyways 4 comments for the next update. Happy reading!


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